Cinema: Cinema’s First Celebrity
Intro:2014 marks the 100th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin's first appearance as “The Little Tramp”
A genius is born out of circumstances, and actor-filmmaker Charlie Chaplin could be no exception. It is said the best thing about him that made him famous was his ability to continually tweak and refine his look and sensibility throughout his 75-year long career.
Known for his under-age mistresses and his tear-jerking performance as the vunerable Tramp- the iconic character he created during the silent movie era does not escape the jaw dropping expression every time you watch him perform.
As all great men in the history of mankind, the life of this ‘Little Tramp’ who made the whole world laugh was also said to be shrouded in pathos, which according to his biographers made his performances real and iconic.
The book, Chaplin: A Life, written by the renowned psychiatrist Dr Stephen Weissman claims that, as considered by many, it was not Chaplin’s alcoholic father who died early due to his habits, the real source of his sorrow, and therefore his creative juices, but the terrible and untold story of his beautiful mother, Hannah- a minor music hall star who performed under the name of Lily Harley-who instead of being the loving and glamorous parent Chaplin always claimed she had been, spent part of her youth working as a prostitute with tragic longterm consequences.
Having lived a life of abject poverty, after his mother was taken mentally ill, Charlie was sent to Hanwell School for Orphans and Destitute Children where he endured the most miserable years of his life.
In his autobiography Charlie has written that unable to pay rent, his mother was evicted after every four weeks. And that though he was pained at living alone in the orphanage after her illness, it did not make him vulnerable. He still felt he was the best actor.
It is this invulnerability, film critics say, became his onscreen persona later. In his early films Chaplin played an angry and cruel character who is bent on taking revenge from people who try to mess with him. Infact, while playing the famous character Little Tramp, who is detached and invincible, he rarely becomes the object of pity. Most of Charlie’s later films also depict his character surviving hostile and unsympathetic world.
Though Chaplin came from a humble background, he still had unlimited ambitions, and it’s his sheer will that made him an icon in true sense.
Interesting facts about Charlie Chaplin
- He was the first actor who graced the cover of Time magazine (1925)
- The opening scene of movie City Lights took two years and 342 takes to complete
- He was 73 years old when his youngest son was born.
- Queen Elizabeth II knighted him when he was 85 years old.
- There is an asteroid named after Charlie Chaplin – the 3626 Chaplin. It sits in the asteroid belt found in between Venus and Mars.
- The bowler hat and cane that he’s always known for wearing were sold for $150,000.
- Even if he was already a millionaire, he chose to stay in a small hotel room. He kept his checks inside a trunk.
- He got married 4 times.
- Six of Chaplin's films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress: The Immigrant(1917), The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940).
-Deepshikha Chauhan (Inputs from Siya Kalra)
