A piece I wrote for Hans India, a reputed daily in Telangana
Born on 16th April 1889, Charlie Chaplin was an incredible English script writer, actor, and filmmaker. He is perhaps one amongst the most brilliant actors to have ever graced the silver screen. His inimitable acting, unbridled energy, and impeccable timing are sure enough to rib-tickle anyone into splits. Even today, close to a century later, his movies strike a chord amongst audiences and are hilarious without a trace of being archaic. However, if you thought he had it all on a silver platter, you are miles away from the truth.
Charlie Chaplin’s is more of a ‘rags to riches’ story’ and perhaps the only kind of it. Early on, his father abandoned the family. His mom, who was an occasional nurse and dressmaker, was barely able to make ends meet. Financially, the family was on a terribly rough patch. Chaplin was living in utmost poverty, struggling for basic necessities.
As a result of the financial crises, Chaplin along with his brother was sent to a workhouse twice before the age of nine. Later, his mother, as a result of malnutrition, developed mental illness and was admitted into an asylum.
Undaunted by poverty that set him to fend for himself, Chaplin started acting at a young age. He started out touring music halls and performing as an actor and comedian. At 19, a lucky break with the prestigious ‘Fred Karno’ company took him from England to America. His scorching desire to star as an actor in Hollywood led him to scout for acting roles. Subsequently, he appeared for keystone Studios. This was when he developed the Tramp Persona and honed his film personality further. Shortly, he changed companies from Essanay Film Manufacturing Company to Mutual Film Corporation to First National Corporations. Steadily his fan base grew and he became an extremely popular actor! By 1918, Charlie Chaplin’s fame knew no bounds; people across the world recognised and adored him for his funny yet affable acting.
Chaplin was greatly obsessive about his work. His obsession, which fringed on impractical levels of perfection, led him to script, compose and direct his own films from an early stage. In 1919, with the intention to have complete control over his films, he co-founded the distribution company ‘United Artists’.
The move ensured he got the opportunity to do some phenomenal films, which went down the history as unparalleled. His first feature-length film ‘The Kid’ (1921) was made after the unexpected death of his child with his marriage to his first wife.The movie’s phenomenal success ensured there were others in the pipeline: A Woman of Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925), and The Circus (1928). Later, he refused to be a part of the sound films in 1930s, and went on to shoot silent films like City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) which have gone on to script a new history.
Looking at the funny acting, he dons in his movies, one could easily assume he might be a nice person, but definitely not courageous. But sorry! Nothing could be more wrong.
During the Nazi regime, Hitler had Chaplin's name printed on the hit list in a book of Nazi propaganda. The book, Juden Sehen Dich An (The Jews are Watching You), brands him a "pseudo-Jew". In response to this, in 1940, Chaplin makes a complete mockery of Hitler in his first talkie movie, ‘The Great Dictator’. Chaplin plays a Nazi-like tyrant, Adenoid Hynkel, dictator of Tomainia, obviously satirising Hitler. This proves how audacious this seemingly slapstick comedian in reality was.
Unfortunately, the 1940s also saw his fame gradually dwindle. He abandoned the Tramp image in his later films like Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Limelight (1952), A King in New York (1957), and A Countess from Hong Kong (1967). Towards the fag-end of his career, his personal life was in lot of legal entanglements because of marrying women much younger to him. He was compelled to leave the United States and settle in Switzerland.
In 1972, for his contribution to the world of motion picture and as part of a renewed appreciation for his cinematic work, Chaplin was handed out an Honorary Academy Award. An achievement totally well-deserved! Even after all these years, a glimpse of his acting and the way he donned the Tramp persona with a panache none could match, Chaplin will forever remain an actor par excellence.
Today, as the film industry celebrates his 128th Birth Anniversary; let’s remember this soul who often delighted in lighting up our faces with smiles! Frankly, the curtain might have fallen on his film career, but the memories of his awesome acting won’t cease playing in our minds…
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