Watched by grandparents, known by parents, but quickly fleeting in the minds of young ones, Charlie Chaplin is the original “tramp.” From films such as The Kid or The Circus, Chaplin is the face of silent films. His unique combination of comedy and tragedy is a modern reformation of Shakespeare’s style. Many would agree that Charlie Chaplin is the Shakespeare of silent films. From rags to riches to exile, Chaplin is a timeless comedian and will always be remembered as the “tramp.” People look at a famous figure like Chaplin and imagine a glamorous life with everything at their disposal, but the last thing people would imagine is a childhood full of suffering and poverty. According to Alan Schroeder, noted biographer, Chaplin was born to a drunkard father and a mentally insane mother (22-24). April 16, 1889, the day one of the greatest actors of the film age was born. Charlie Sr. and Hannah Chaplin named him after his vaudevillian father (Schroeder 21). Charlie Sr. was one of the greatest vaudevillians in England at the time, until his lips touched alcohol (Schroeder 22). Charlie's father became an unbearable drunk that ended up leaving Hannah and their two kids, Charlie and Sidney, to fend for themselves (Schroeder 22). The stress this left on Hannah was toxic. Hannah tried to provide for the children by working as a seamstress for the church (Schroeder 22). Before she had Charlie she too was a vaudevillian, but after Charlie's birth she had given it up (Schroeder 22). Well, until she could barely afford food. She attempted to get back to a stage career, but work was scarce and time-consuming (Schroeder 22). Sidney and Charlie were living a life no child should have to endure. Within a few years, Hannah had given birth to two chil...
... middle of paper ...
...lways be someone out there that idolizes him.Van Gogh, Picasso, and Chaplin will always have two things in common: their artistic abilities, and their lack of appreciation until they were gone. For Picasso and Van Gogh "gone" meant death, but for Chaplin "gone" meant exile. After Chaplin's long-term exile for his "communism" ideals, he once again returned to the U.S. after the Second Red Scare had died down (Encyclopedia of World Biography 439). Upon his return, Chaplin was contacted about receiving academy awards (Authors and Artists for Young Adults Par.2) 4 Academy Awards and 4 Academy Award nominations were only part of the many recognitions he received (Authors and Artists for Young Adults Par.2). Finally Chaplin had received the awards he deserved. Chaplin was a man who contributed so much to the film industry as well as thousands of laughs his films provoked.
The film’s brilliance lies in the choice to show three distinct familial units with varying and different responses to their disadvantaged circumstances. The three boys who are the main subject of this film each experience a set of challenges and disadvantages associated with growing up in poverty. Appachey lives with his mother and younger siblings and has little to no adult supervision because his single mother must work long hours to support the family. Harley lives with his grandmother because his mother is incarcerated for attempting to kill the man who sexually abused her son. Harley suffers from anger and personality disorders and has a difficult time fitting in at school. Andrew lives with his father, mother and sister but is subject to repeated and frequent moves due his father’s inability to secure stable employment. His mother also suffers from significant mental illness and bouts of manic
In 1939, Charlie Chaplin was a world famous movie star who released a movie that would be very controversial, The Great Dictator. The movie was meant to ridicule Hitler, as at that time he was at the height of his power. At the end of the movie, Chaplin delivers a speech as a Jewish barber mistaken for Chaplin’s Hitler- like dictator. Chaplin uses speech rhetoric to convey Chaplin's message of hope and light. The film did very well in the theaters and was Chaplin's most successful movie. The speech in the film, The Great Dictator, used it's influential place in society with cinema to convey a message of peace, hope, and independence.
...that allowed the anxiety and fears of a nation to be relieved as well as a significant degree of sexual tension. He opened the door to other authors, directors and film makers to attempt to relieve tension in their films rather than create it and in doing so he helped popularize a genre of film: Parody.
It includes the Little Tramp as a miner in the brutal winter of the Klondike amid the eponymous time when men attempted to strike it rich. He lives in a small shack on the highest point of an incline which in the long run begins to tumble off amid a terrible windstorm. Chaplin was one of the noiseless time's most clever and most adaptable physical humorists, keeping in mind he was never as aerobatic as Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd, he beyond any doubt knew how to offer a stifler. His acclaimed hit the dance floor with the rolls was so well known at the time that gatherings of people would request projectionists stop the film to respool and demonstrate the moment long portion once
Another major contender in the comedy genre was Harold Lloyd. He had an unpredictable style of comedy at first. For a long time he wanted to model himself after Charlie Chaplin until he came into his own unique style. Chaplin’s clothes were too big for him, so Lloyd wore clothes that were too small for him. However, it was not as simple as reversing Chaplin’s style. One day someone put him in oval wire glasses and it somehow became part of his persona. Lloyd eventually evolved on his own and claimed his own unique style. “At times he would seem meek but then would explode suddenly with force and anger” (Cousins, p. 73). He became most famous for his incredible stamina and ability to perform outrageous stunts, known as his “human fly” act. In Safety Last he is seen climbing the side of a building, along the way running into many obstacles that would threaten to push him off. He was unparalleled in the way he performed such dangerous stunts all for the sake of comedy.
The Comedy of Errors is a comedy that focuses on a merchant named Egeon who is looking for his long lost wife and other twin son. The son who grew up with him, Antipholus of Syracuse, is also searching the world for his family. Unknown to his father, they both end up in the same place, Ephesus. It is illegal in Ephesus to travel between it and Syracuse, but the Duke is touched by Egeon’s story and gives him a day to raise bail money. The other twin, also named Antipholus, lives in Ephesus. Each of the twins have slaves both named Dromio, who are also twins. Antipholus of Ephesus’ wife Adriana believes that the other Antipholus is her husband, and he falls in love with Adriana’s sister Luciana. Antipholus of Ephesus ordered a gold chain that is given to Antipholus of Syracuse, who refuses to pay for it and is arrested for debt. Adriana throws him in a cellar, afraid he has gone mad. Antipholus of Syracuse and his slave attempt to escape, only to get caught by the debt officer and Adriana. Everything is settled in the end when the Abbess, Emilia, comes out with the twins and reveals ...
Many people believe Marlon Brando was the greatest actor of the 20th century. His life was filled with wonderful, interesting, but also encountered troubling times. Marlon Brando was a rebellious boy who later grew up to be known as the “world’s greatest actor.”
Brownlow, Kevin 1994, ‘Preface’, in Paolo, C, Burning Passions: an introduction to the study of silent film, British Film Institute, London: BFI, pp. 1-3.
Something you might not know about this film is that it was delayed for 8 months because of a legal battle. What was the cause of this legal battle? Don’t worry, it was only Chaplin’s ex-wife Lita Grey’s lawyer attempting to ruin his reputation and credibility in order to destroy his career. What was one way they tried to do this? Why, only by trying to seize the money that belonged to the studio that The Circus was being filmed in. No big deal. Other major setbacks included the main location of the film- the circus tent, getting ruined, a bad laboratory that made scene unusable, and a fire that destroyed parts of the set and many
Modern times, set in the time of “The Great Depression” of 1930s, written and directed by Charlie Chaplin, is deemed as one of the most “culturally significant” movies of all time. Charlie Chaplin once again reprised the role of his iconic character “The Little tramp”. The film is famed for its portrayal of a socially relevant theme in a humorous and satirical way. The world we live in had undergone a tremendous change in the late eighteenth century. There was a complete turnaround of events in the lives of the public. Many sociologists attribute the process of “great transformation” for this mayhem caused in the society. There was a massive change in social, economic, technological and intellectual life of people which triggered this concept
How does the use of comic relief best contrast the tragedy of Hamlet? In great works of literature a comic relief is used as contrast to a serious scene to intensify the overall tragic nature of the play or to relieve tension. As illustrated in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, intense scenes are joined with character’s banter and vacuous actions as to add a comic relief. In Hamlet, Polonius acts as a comic relief by his dull and windy personality, Hamlet uses his intelligence and his negativity toward the king and queen to create humor, while on the other hand Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are a comic relief by their senseless actions and naïve natures. Polonius, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are all used as a comic relief to increase the ultimate tragic nature of the play.
“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” This was one of the most famous quotes from Charlie Chaplin who became the celebrated superstar from the silent film era. He fulfilled this quote as his acting and directing career spanned over 75 years. He made his debut early on in his childhood and worked up until the day before he died at age 88. He is best remembered for role as the silly and loveable Little Tramp
Tartuffe is a satirical comedic play written by Molière in 1664. It is focused around the family of Orgon and the character of Tartuffe, who has become Orgon’s personal holy man. Before being brought into Orgon’s home, Tartuffe was nothing more than a common beggar who learned how to act pious. Throughout this play, we see Orgon give everything he owns to Tartuffe: his love, his money, his daughter, and even the deed to his house. While everyone else in the household sees Tartuffe for who he really is, Orgon remains blind to it throughout most of the play. Orgon is warned many times by different members of the household, including his own son, yet he only chooses to lash out against those speaking. From early on in the play we as readers are able to recognize that Tartuffe is no more than a hypocrite and Orgon is a blind fool. In the play Tartuffe by Molière there are several different important themes that impact this work,
As a practical sociologist, Charlie Chaplin film Modern times embodies the ideas of hyper-rationalization of Max Weber and the false consciousness of Karl Marx. His film critiques the structural evolution caused by modern society. Through satire, the film reflects the lived reality of modernity by showing how individual agency succumbs to ruthless pragmatism, and how false consciousness is taught to marginalized individuals.
CharacterI In the early 20th century a third category of characterization developed from the so-called carpet clown, who performed short, solo routines between circus acts. These character clowns, as they are known today, include any clown who has a unique routine and who usually works alone or without a partner in a large group. The character clown is the most realistic of the clown types. Character clowns make fun of different features of the human face through exaggeration, including beards, whiskers, warts, large noses, bald heads, and strange haircuts. The most popular character is the hobo or tramp clown, which is probably the only clown type originally developed in the United States. The development of the tramp clown, however, owes much of its inspiration to English actor Charlie Chaplin. During his career, Chaplin played the part of the “Little Tramp'; in many motion pictures. Two other famous tramp clowns are Otto Griebling and Emmett Kelly, close friends who performed in the early and mid-20th century.