Before taking this course, I had only seen one Charlie Chaplin film: Modern Times. When we were required to watch it for the class, I hadn’t even remembered that I’d seen it before. It wasn’t until the scene involving Chaplin being the test subject for the “feeding machine” that I remembered watching it before.
After watching Modern Times for a second time, I suddenly found myself extremely interested in Charlie Chaplin. I continued to watch some of his other films, including The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), The Immigrant (1917), and many other clips I found on YouTube. I’ve come to the conclusion that Charles Chaplin was so much more than simply a slapstick comedian. He was a man of many, many talents and a truly unique human being.
We can see how Charlie Chaplin was so incredibly talented in his ability to make films. He was more than just an actor; in the majority of his films, Chaplin was not only the starring actor, he was also the writer, producer, and director. One thing I did not know before this taking this course was how he was also an accomplished composer, arranging the musical pieces for his films as well. Ever heard the song “Smile,” sung by Nat King Cole? It was originally composed by Chaplin and was used as the theme song for the film Modern Times (lyrics were later added).
Working under film companies, such as Keystone Film Company, Chaplin was mainly restricted to the “knock-about slapstick his audience expected,” while he was actually wanting “to make subtler comedies” (Hollywood). After becoming an independent producer, Chaplin was given the freedom to make films how he wanted. In the 1921 film The Kid, we come to see Charlie’s serious side. Chaplin wrote The Kid in reflection of his own childhood; the story involves Chaplin raising an orphaned child he finds as a baby. Many aspects of this film show a more dramatic, serious Charlie Chaplin. For example, when Chaplin’s character and the boy are reunited after child welfare officials try and take him away. It was such an emotional scene; I was even tearing up a bit.
Many of the films Chaplin wrote focused on social problems at the time. He was aware of the issues that people were facing, and as a person of celebrity, he addressed them. For this I applaud Chaplin, as many Hollywood producers, writers, and directors avoid tackling social problems. Chaplin’s character that he developed for his films, The Little Tramp, in itself addresses the problems facing the lower class in a capitalistic society. His character is often on the road, looking for work. The Little Tramp “acknowledged the economic inequities that most Hollywood films either ignored or suggested could be easily overcome” (Benshoff and Griffin 177).
Charlie Chaplin is known as one of the greatest silent film comedians, but his humor continued into sound films as well. In Modern Times, Chaplin’s voice is heard for the first time in the “non-sense” song sung towards the end of the film. I found this scene as an excellent way for his character to incorporate a voice for the first time. It was also absolutely hilarious. Chaplin also incorporated this sort of non-sense language into his next film, The Great Dictator (1940), only this time it’s German-like. The film, written before the full extent of the horrors of Nazi rule was known, is a parody of, and aimed as an assault on, Hitler. In my opinion, this film shows Chaplin’s comedic ability in sound. It’s well known he was a great silent comedian, but in this film he proved himself as a great comedian all around.
Making The Great Dictator was a daringly bold move in a time when communist paranoia was running rapid. “The Great Dictator had enraged German and British diplomats posted in the United States and brought Chaplin to the forefront of celebrities harassed by the House of Un-American Activities” (Charlie). In 1952, Chaplin was denied re-entry into the U.S. He spent the rest of his life living in Switzerland.
Charlie Chaplin was, in my opinion, remarkably talented. Given the freedom to make his own films, Chaplin showed audiences he was more than simply a slapstick comedian. Along with being an amazingly funny comic, he could also create wonderful films.
Works Cited:
Benshoff, Harry M. and Sean Griffin. America On Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. 2nd ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.
Charlie Chaplin: Official Website. Roy Export Company. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
“Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film – 08 Comedy – A Serious Business.” YouTube, 13 May 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.
Image: Harness, Jill. “Charlie Chaplin: Celebrating the Classic Comic.” Neatorama, 20 April 2010. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.
Image: "The Gold Rush." Filmlinc.com. The Film Society of Lincoln Center. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.
Video: TheChaplinFilms. “Chaplin Masterpiece Trailer.” YouTube, 13 April 2011. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.
Charlie Chaplain was truly one of the great social commentators. He etched out the niche of the starriest. while it had been done before (because all art is derivative) he cemented the path that many comedians took on the road to political commentators and social watchdogs. if we look at the way many modern comedians mix drama and comedy to make a point on the direction that society is heading we can feel charlie's influence. comedians like Jon Stuart, Chris Rock, and even Richard Pryor use charlie's method. many comedians owe their carrier to charlie's method.
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