Charlie Chaplin is an extremely popular figure in the media world. He became popular in the era of silent films and is a filmmaker and composer. His filmography is extensive, and even now is considered an icon worldwide.
With a career that spans an impressive 75 years, Chaplin is hugely influential and is looked up to by many generations of actors and performers. His filmography is extensive and includes many films. Some of these films were top-grossing, and some were not as well known. However, they are still an inspiration to many.
Who was Charlie Chaplin?
Charlie Chaplin, or Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. was born on the 16th of April 1889 and was a famous English comic actor. He also became a filmmaker and composer. He rose to fame in the time of silent films and is considered a worldwide icon, especially for his onscreen persona, the Tramp. Due to his fame and influential movies, he is considered one of the most important and iconic figures in filmmaking history.
Chaplin was born in London, and his childhood was poverty-stricken, and he had to face a lot of hardships early on in his life. He lived with his single mother, and his father was absent from his life. They struggled financially, and even before he turned nine, he was sent to the workhouse twice to earn money.
He began performing at a very early age and toured music halls, and even worked as a stage actor and comedian. He signed to the Fred Karno company at the age of nineteen. With them, he traveled to the United States. There he was scouted by the film industry. From there, he began appearing in films for Keystone Studios. Later he developed the well-known and loved Tramp persona. This persona garnered a lot of attention for Chaplin, and he became well known for it.
Chaplin also directed his own films and continued to work on his passions. Other than working on movies, he also worked on composing, directing, editing, and acting. He was known to be a perfectionist, and the success of his movies allowed him to spend time and money on perfecting the development and production of a movie. Most of his films have a characteristic slapstick element to them and sometimes even contained social and political themes. You can also find autobiographical elements in his vast filmography.
Charlie Chaplin has also received an Honorary Academy Award due to the effect that his movies have had on the filmmaking industry. His movies such as The Gold Rush, Modern Times, The Great Dictator, and City Lights are often ranked as some of the greatest films of all time.
Influences behind his movies
Since Chaplin’s movies have influenced so many in the filmmaking industry, it is only natural for you to wonder where his own influence comes from. Chaplin claims that his first influence was his mother.
According to him, his mother entertained him when he was young by sitting with him near the window and imitating those who passed by. It was that way that he learned how to express emotion through his hands and face. Chaplin claims that his mother’s efforts to entertain him also allowed him to observe and uniquely study people.
Furthermore, Chaplin spent his early years in the music hall, which allowed him to see professionals at work. There he studied the actors and paid close attention to how they acted and entertained the crowd. It is from here that he learned to pace his comedy. Additionally, he mastered the art of mixing slapstick with pathos, a characteristic of Chaplin’s work, from Karno. The element of absurdity is well depicted in his work, and you can probably draw comparisons and similarities between their works.
Styles and themes of Charlie Chaplin’s movies
Broadly, you can define Chaplin’s style as slapstick comedy and there are many funny movies in his fimlography. However, it also has an element of intelligence to it. It is restrained and has a neat balance of comedy and thoughtful gags. After a while, Chaplin started moving away from his usual slapstick style and started to focus more on slower-paced works. He exhausted the scenes of their comic potential and focused his efforts more on character attachment. His main aim became to develop a relationship between the viewer and the character.
Many people delved into Chaplin’s work and gave their opinions on it. Robinson claims that the comic moments in Chaplin’s films were not so focused on funny situations. Rather, on the Tramp’s attitude and response to those. That way, Chaplin was able to make Tramp a more 3D character that the viewers could enjoy and feel a connection to. Kamim described Chaplin’s comedy is characterized by his quirky mannerisms, which bring out the characters.
Chaplin created many silent films, and they typically revolved around Tramp as he tried to survive in a world that was harsh and hostile. The character, not unlike himself, lives in poverty and is often not treated well by the people in his life. Regardless, he has an upbeat attitude, and he does not fail to be kind. Furthermore, he tries his very best to be a gentleman and defy his social position.
Pathos is also a characteristic mark in Chaplin’s work, and you can identify sentimentality in his films. This sentimentality often pulls at the heartstrings of the viewers, and they feel a connection with the characters. Chaplin was also known for drawing from tragic events in his films. He used them as inspiration and had his films explore them. Therefore, he made a comedy out of the suffering and injected some fun into people’s life.
Social commentary was another feature of Chaplin’s films. He always highlighted the underdog and made the viewers feel sympathetic toward him. He also shed light on the difficulties of the poor. In some movies, such as Monsieur Verdoux, released in 1947, he discussed and criticized war and capitalism. Modern Times, released in 1936, is yet another example where he depicted the dismal conditions in which factory workers survived.
A list of Charlie Chaplin Movies
Here is a list of some of Charlie Chaplin’s movies that Charlie Chaplin made
- City Lights (1931)
- Modern Times (1936)
- The Great Dictator (1940)
- The Kid (1921)
- The Gold Rush (1925)
- The Circus (1928)
- Limelight (1952)
- The Pilgrim (1923)
- Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
- A Dog’s Life (1918)
- Pay Day (1922)
- The Immigrant (1917)
- The Idle Class (1921)
- Easy Street (1917)
- Charlie Chaplin Carnival (1938)
- The Cure (1917)
- A King in New York (1957)
- The Adventurer (1917)
- The Chaplin Cavalcade (1941)
- The Charlie Chaplin Festival (1941)
- The Pawnshop (1916)
- One A.M (1916)
- The Tramp (1915)
- Behind the Screen (1916)
- The Rink (1916)
- Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914)
- The Vagabond (1916)
- Sunnyside (1919)
- The Champion (1915)
- Chase Me Charlie (1918)
- Shoulder Arms (1918)
- A Day’s Pleasure (1919)
- The Fireman (1916)
- A Night in the Show (1915)
- The Count (1916)
- The Bank (1915)
- A Woman (1915)
- Police (1916)
- The Floorwalker (1916)
- His Trysting Place (1914)
- The Rounders (1914)
- Work (1915)
- Shanghaired (1915)
- His New Profession (1914)
- The Professor (1919)
- Dough and Dynamite (1914)
- The New Janitor (1914)
- His Musical Career (1914)
- His New Job (1915)
- A Night Out (1915)
- Caught in the Rain (1914)
- The Property Man (1914)
- Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)
- A Burlesque on Carmen (1915)
- Her Friend the Bandit (1914)
- A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)
- Mabel at the Wheel (1914)
- Getting Acquainted (1914)
- The Masquerader (1914)
- Twenty Minutes of Love (1914)
- A Jitney Elopement (1915)
- By the Sea (1915)
- Laughing Gas (1914)
- In the Park (1915)
- Gentlemen of Nerve (1914)
- Mabel’s Married Life (1914)
- Caught in a Cabaret (1914)
- Mabel’s Busy Day (1914)
- The Fatal Mallet (1914)
- A Film Johnnie (1914)
- Mabel’s Strange Predicament (1914)
- Those Love Pangs (1914)
- Making a Living (1914)
- Between Showers (1914)
- Cruel, Cruel Love (1914)
- Tango Tangle (1914)
- Triple Trouble (1918)
- Camille (1926)
- His Prehistoric Past (1914)
- The Face on the Barroom Floor (1914)
- The Star Boarder (1914)
- Recreation (1914)
- A Busy Day (1914)
- His Favourite Pastime (1914)
- Nice and Friendly (1922)
- His Regeneration (1915)
Conclusion
Charlie Chaplin is considered an icon in the filmmaking industry. His films are thought to be the turning point for films and he is wildly credited for the success of silent films. Additionally, Chaplin was a multitalented person who was known to act, direct and write movies. He composed music on the side as well.
As he had complete control over his films, Chaplin, the ever perfectionist was able to create something that truly reflected him and his background. This fact is evident in the themes of his movies and the popular character, The Tramp.