CHARLIE CHAPLIN

 FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

 

  

CHARLIE CHAPLIN

 (SIR CHARLES SPENCER CHAPLIN)

 (16 April 1889 - 25 December 1977)

 

 

Born Charles Spencer Chaplin in London, England, he was an Actor, Comedian, Director, Composer, Screenwriter, Producer, and Editor - a blend of all these put together - in short, a versatile personality.

William Claude Dukenfield said, “Comedy is a serious business - a serious business with only one purpose - to make people laugh.” Charlie Chaplin completely lived up to this quote.

 

Chaplin had other ideas too about comedy and hassle-laden real life. His own words “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot” summed up the life he lived.

 

A world-renowned personality, Charlie was more known as one of the greatest comedians ever to take birth, and walk and talk on the earth, especially his peculiar body language which did more comedy than his dialogues. He had unique and incredible comic timings and an unmatched ability to emote without words. He stands out as one of the most prominent figures the film world had ever produced.

 

Charlie’s childhood in London was one of poverty and hardship. While his father Charles Chaplin Sr. was a versatile actor and entertainer, his mother Hannah Hill was an actress, singer, and dancer who performed in the British Music Halls from the age of 16 until she was confined to a mental asylum, when Charlie just turned 14. Till then, he was under the care and custody of his single mother who was struggling financially (his father abruptly left her in the lurch). Charlie also had a half-brother named Sydney. Charlie Chaplin had 11 children through 4 wives.

 

Charlie Chaplin began his career as a comedian with the Casey’s Court Circus vaudeville Act. It was the year 1908 when he joined the Fred Karno Repertoire Company as part of the pantomime troupe. It was here when his status quickly escalated to that of a star and eventually took him to the U.S.A. His portrayal of the Drunk in the sketch ‘A Night in an English Music Hall’ was an immediate hit with the American audiences so much so that in Fred Karno Troupre’s repeat tour of the USA in 1912, Charlie was offered a contract of a motion picture.

 

With his Vaudeville commitments expiring in 1913, Charlie agreed to appear before cameras when he joined the Mack Sennett and the Keystone Film Company. This was Charlie Chaplin’s first entrance into the world of cinema. 

 

The first onscreen character that he portrayed was that of a mercenary dandy, which, claim historians, didn’t showcase his talents in the best light. He was then ordered by Sennet to come up with an image that would work better on screen and attract people. This was the moment from when the iconic too-small coat, too-large pair of pants, floppy shoes, and battered derby clinched his permanent appearance sporting the type of a funny and peculiar mustache that he always looked with, as we all know. That look became very popular among people. He also adopted a cane as an all-purpose prop to complete his look. This eventually gave birth to his on-screen alter ego the ‘Little Tramp’ in his second Keystone film ‘Kid Auto Races at Venice’, an immortal presence until today. 

 

In the vast array of characters portrayed by Charlie Chaplin, however, he was not always confined to the role of a tramp. His characters in the parts that he played were often employed as a fireman, store clerk, waiter, etc. A more apt description of his character portrayal was the archetypical misfit, usually left out by the ‘polite society’, not so lucky in love and of the like. He was also depicted as a survivor, someone who is able to plunge out of his sorrows and move on energetically and dashingly to newer adventures.

 

 

The tramp, however, had more of a universal appeal. For the character was cheeky yet casually savage. Combined with a gallantry that is unexpected for such a character and the ability to be resilient in the face of adversity struck the right chord and a purple patch with a majority of the audiences. The portrayal of this character made Charlie Chaplin the biggest movie star within months of his debut as the same. The 35 comedy films that Charlie Chaplin had with Keystone were regarded as the gestation period of the ‘Tramp’ with caricature usually shifting up to be his character, perhaps forever! 

 

On completion of his contract with Sennet, Charlie Chaplin moved on to work with the Essanay Company in 1915. During this time with Essanay Studios, the element of paths was incorporated into his comedy by him in shorts such as The Tramp and Burlesque on Carmen.

 

Given the rise in his popularity, Charlie then moved on to sign an even better deal with the Mutual Film Corporation where he was required to make twelve two-reel comedies. Some of the popular works from this association included The Rink (1916), One A.M. (1916), The Vagabond (1916), and Easy Street (1917).

 

In 1918, he entered a contract with First National Film Corporation where he was required to produce eight short films. Some of the notable works under this included Shoulder Arms (1918), The Pilgrim (1923), and The Kid (1921), his first starring feature. 

 

He directed 11 films.

 

Some of the books written by him are:

 

1.   My Auto-biography

2.   My Life Pictures

3.   My Early Years

4.   My Trip Abroad

5.   Gold Rush

6.   A Comedian Sees the World

7.   No Rest

 

Charles Chaplin was also a composer, having written and published many songs, among them: “Sing a Song”; “With You Dear in Bombay”; and “There’s Always One You Can’t Forget”, “Smile”, “Eternally”, “You are My Song”, as well as the soundtracks for all his films. He was one of the rare comedians who not only financed and produced all his films (with the exception of “A Countess from Hong Kong”), but was the author, actor, director, and soundtrack composer of them as well.

 

Awards:

 

Flo Rock and 32 others - more than 26 awards and distinctions during his lifetime, including a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1972, three Oscars, and a star on the Walk of Fame.

 

In his final years, he was conferred with several honours. In 1972, he was conferred with the Special Academy Award for the immeasurable effect that he projected in the making of motion pictures, the art form of that century. His final public appearance was in 1975 when he was knighted. He passed away on 25th December 1977.  Besides being an author and a producer, he honed a number of other skills. And, as a musician, he played a variety of instruments and authored at least four books. He was truly a remarkable personality whom the world remembers with great fondness for what all he achieved.

 

His golden and astounding quotes, among others, are:

 

1.   Nothing is forever in this world even our problems!

2.   I love walking in the rain because no one can see my tears!

3.   In the end, everything is a gag.

4.   The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.

5.   Six biggest Doctors in the world are – Sun, Rest, Exercise, Diet, Self-respects, and friends.

6.   You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.

7.   Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.

8.   I remain just one thing, and one thing only – and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician.

9.   A day without laughter is a day wasted.

10.               We think too much and feel too little.

11.               Simplicity is not a simple thing

 

In a lighter vein, he would quip, “The mirror is my best friend because when I cry it never laughs.”

His saying “My pain may be the reason for somebody’s laugh. But my laugh must never be the reason for somebody’s pain” would move one to tears.

Let me use his own quote, “Perfect love is the most beautiful of all frustrations because it is more than one can express”, as a tribute to this tall personality of his times.

 

 

(R.SAMPATH)

29/6/2023