Charlie Chaplin

 


1-Many reasons to choose Charlie Chaplin:

First, we have chosen Charlie Chaplin because it was the best-known actor even in silent films and he was famous all around the world. His genius laid ability not only to make films but also to perform in them. He made very particular films and one of the first films we have studied at school is Modern Time. He played his own personality and due to this, he revolutionized the cinema! He represented the beginning of the cinema and he succeeds to make people laugh. Charlie Chaplin has still kept the wonderful image of "The Tramp", the emblem of the first black and white films.

2-His life:

Sir Charles Spencer, also called Charlie Chaplin, was born on April 16th 1889 at East Lane in Walworth, London (poor district).
His father died at the age of 37 because of alcohol and his mother, who was suffering from a nervous breakdown, spent several years in an asylum so he and his brother Sydney were hungry street urchins, dancing on streets corners and passing the hat for pennies until placed in an orphanage for destitute children. Later, he enters a dancing and theatre troupe in which he will be recognised by Fred Arno and, at the age of 19, became a star. After his first tour in USA, he decided to live there in 1912.
He was a music hall artist and also an actor, a writer and the director of his own films. He developed a character in a bowler hat and baggy trousers, with a comic moustache and a cane. He made many famous films as Modern Time in 1936 or The Great Dictator in 1940.
He had a busy private life. He first married Mildred Harris, an actress, for two years and they had one child: Charlie. His second wife was Lita Gray (also an actress) and they had two children: Charles Jr and Sydney Earl. They were married for three years. His third marriage lasted from 1936 to 1942 (only 6 years) and was to Paulette Goddard (of course an actress). His last wife (18 years old when they got married whereas he was 53) was Oona and together they had eight children.
Charlie Chaplin died in 1977 an Christmas day, in Switzerland, at the age of 88.

3- The immigrant actor:

Charlie Chaplin first movement was still in England. Despite Charlie's early success when he was five years old, his mother was forced to move her family into Lambeth Borough Workhouse in London. In Charlie's world, it was the "booby hatch"
Then in 1910, Charlie Chaplin left Europe for economic reasons. Indeed, he toured the United States, with the Karno Pantomime Group and he played for an other tour in his future host country, in 1912. Mack Sennett and his Keystone Film Company noticed him. With this contract, he'll be introduced into the medium of films. Finally his first, in 1914, Making Living, was directed by Henry Lehrman.
At the same time, Charlie Chaplin might left London for a family reason since his family's difficulties (see before).
Nevertheless, Charlie Chaplin was forced to leave the United States, about 1947, because of political reasons. He spent many of his last years in Switzerland. And he finally only return to the United States to get his Oscar in 1972.

4- What did he hope to find in his new country?

When this young man arrived in the United States, he was already known. Indeed he was only twenty years old and many directors had seen this great actor. The arrival in the United States was, for C.C, the beginning of a new life. In a short time, he won an eternal success: his films were appreciated by people all over the world, especially in the States, and also in Europe. Due to his work, he became richer and richer. His way of life was better now. He at the same time found love with Mildred Harris, an actress too. Maybe to fight against his childhood's problem, his misfortunes, C.C married several times. But he was generally happy in love.
In conclusion, in the U.S, he found three reasons for happiness: love, money and success! This man was finally extremely gratified.

5-Our opinion about one of the best-known actor in silent films!

Chaplin was arguably the world's most popular film comedian! Many of this films were parodies on real life and each film he has made conveys a message. He wrote his own scripts and his films obviously talked about his life, his hard childhood like in The Kid. Nevertheless, during the Second World War, he had the courage to say his opinion about Nazis even if he had lot problems, owing to this of sincerity. In The Great Dictator, he denounced Hitler and Nazism. Also, with humour, in his silent comedy, he had the power to claim his political opinion and he blamed evils, just before the Second World War. So this actor is an exceptional strong man: sometimes naïve and at the same time so genius. However, we were very surprised when we studied his personal life; he married four times and his last wife was only eighteen years old!
To conclude, we can say that he had an exceptional talent and he realised his dream and that is wonderful when we compare with his social background.


Caroline, 1ère S, 2001-2002