He is the greatest comedy director in the history of cinema, and he is also a world-renowned master of body performance.
From Stephen Chow to Peisi Chan, from Benshan Zhao to Carrey Kim, almost all comedians regard him as a mentor in life.
In the silent film era, Chaplin's achievements and influence were unparalleled, and his image with a domed top hat and dress became almost the most important representative of comedy films, and it is still indelible today.
I can choose to let you see it, or I can choose not to let you see it. - Chaplin
He shot a total of 81 films in his lifetime, such as "The Wanderer", "Finding a Son", "Gold Digger", "City Lights" and so on are regarded as classics.
Restoration stills from City Lights
Charles Chaplin was born in London on 16 April 1889, but his exact birth certificate is not available. Chaplin lived in the slums of Central Hanville until the age of 9. Chaplin's parents were both professional singers, so he was deeply influenced from an early age, especially talented in acting, but because his family was very poor, he often did not have enough food when he was young.
Childhood Chaplin
When Chaplin's father was touring the United States with the troupe, his mother had an affair with another actor in the theater, Leo, and gave birth to a son, Sidney, chaplin's half-brother, and the happy life of the Chaplin family disintegrated.
Chaplin and his brother Sidney
His mother took him alone to live with his brother, and the misfortune was that when he was 5 years old, Chaplin's mother contracted laryngitis because of overwork, and she could not make a sound in a performance, and she was kicked off the stage by the audience in front of a huge mistake, and the steward was also very anxious at the time, thinking of letting Chaplin take the stage to try, but she did not expect that the audience responded well that day. It was Chaplin's first appearance on stage, and he attracted countless applause with his comical performance.
On Christmas Day 1898, Chaplin, who was not yet 10 years old, became a professional stage actor. Due to his father's profession, he joined a juvenile theater company at the time. After several weeks of training, I was given the opportunity to play the animal in the troupe's dance drama Cinderella. In this scene, young Chaplin dresses up as a cat and has the first chance to make people laugh through performances.
In May 1901, at the age of 12, his father died of alcoholism and his mother was sent to a mental hospital for mental illness. The two brothers were sent to the juvenile penitentiary again, and in order to make money, Chaplin worked as a flower boy, a barbershop worker, a doctor's small worker, a newspaper boy, etc., all to make money to supplement the family.
In May 1903, his older brother Sidney returned from the sea, intending to help his brother get on stage again with the entertainment he learned on the ship. With the encouragement of his brother, Chaplin, who was only 14 years old, soon got the role of Billy Peggy in the play "Sherlock Holmes".
In May 1906, he joined another stage play, Casey's Court Circus, and performed for more than a year. At the age of 17, Chaplin had already begun to play major roles in comedy repertoire.
It may be precisely because of his poor background and that unique experience that he felt the suffering of the people at the bottom and laid a realistic foundation for his future creative road.
In 1908, Chaplin signed a contract with the British juggling theatre and starred in the Carnot Troupe's plays The Masked Bird and The Football Team and the Bold Jimmy, a tour that lasted from 1910 to 1912. It was in this year that 19-year-old Chaplin met his first girlfriend, Heidi Kelly, who had performed on stage before Chaplin, and Chaplin fell in love with her at first sight. Soon after getting along, Chaplin proposed to Kelly. But Kelly rejected Chaplin because he was too young, and the relationship came to an end.
First love Heidi Kelly
In Chaplin's life, he has publicly admitted to having a relationship with 7 actresses, three of whom are only 16 years old, and are playboys who love Lori out of the blue. When Chaplin took off his beard as a young man, he really killed the small fresh meat now.
After taking off the beard
Chaplin's four wives
In 1914, Chaplin's debut film Making a Living was released. Later, he filmed many films such as "20 Minutes of Love" and "Mabel's Marriage". At the end of 1914, Chaplin's one-year contract expired, when the Essanay Film Company poached Chaplin for a salary of $1,250 a week and a signing fee of $10,000. During this time, he met her third wife, Pauline Gaudé.
Stills of making a living
"Mabel's Marriage"
Pauline Gaudy, who was Chaplin's third wife, is a famous American actress, and her famous films are "Modern Times" and "The Great Dictator". Pauline and Chaplin spent 10 years together, including 6 years of marriage. They not only rely on each other emotionally, but also develop together in their careers.
Chaplin and Pauline
Take a look at Pauline's highlight moments, and you must know that this appearance was definitely a beautiful person at that time.
At Essanay Pictures, Chaplin won more freedom, and after ending his days at Essanay Pictures, the films "Charles Chaplin's Burlesque" and "Triple Trouble" were broadcast without Chaplin's consent, and Chaplin sued without legal recognition.
In 1917, FNEC paid $125,000 in advance for each of Chaplin's eight independent films. The first film to be completed was The Dog's Life, followed by the 1918 comedy From the Army.
Classic picture of the movie "The Life of a Dog"
Comedy "From the Army"
Color photos after repair
In 1918, thanks to a huge promotion in independence, Chaplin established his own studio. In 1923, he filmed his first film for the studio, A Woman in Paris, with a cameo appearance as a station porter.
A Woman in Paris
Group photo of "A Woman in Paris"
The Gold Rush in 1925 and The Circus in 1928 won Chaplin an Academy Award. The silent film "Gold Rush" is one of his most iconic works, telling the wandering dream of the Yukon River Gold Rush, and it is also a wonderful social commentary.
Gold Rush
Classic footage from The Gold Rush
Chaplin came to London in 1931 for the premiere of City Lights and returned the following year. The reason why City Light has become a classic is not only a strict logical relationship, which is only the tip of the iceberg of this high-scoring masterpiece, but also its ubiquitous satire on the background and the affirmation that the brilliance of humanity is still warm.
City Lights
In Chaplin's films, he was highly praised by the audience for creating the image of the working people at the bottom. He attacked the ugly system of capitalism and profoundly exposed the expropriation of working people by capitalists, which won the praise of the masses.
However, in the face of the trend of sound films, Chaplin's films have also embarked on a downward spiral. In 1936, Chaplin composed his last silent film, The Modern Age, and at the end of the film, Chaplin used English, German, Russian, Spanish, and possibly Jewish words to synthesize an internationally civilized pop song "I'm Looking for Titina" into an internationally civilized pop song. This is the first time he has let the audience hear his voice, and also use this song to bid farewell to his silent era.
Modern Times
Four years later, he made The Great Dictator, in which he played the Jewish barber and Hitler, which satirized Hitler's brutality and upset the U.S. government. In particular, in 1947, Chaplin filmed "Monsieur Verdun", which mainly condemned the arms dealers who made a windfall in wartime, which seriously angered the US military and political two terms.
Imitate Hitler
Holding a Hitler doll
Unsuspectingly, Chaplin, with his last wife, Una O'Neill, boarded the luxury cruise ship Elizabeth in New York Harbor and traveled to London for the premiere of his film "Stage Career", and as the ship crossed the Atlantic, a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice came on the ship's radio: The U.S. government would refuse Chaplin to re-enter the country.
Chaplin and his last wife
At this moment, he seemed to be back to the age of 12, and Chaplin, who was now 62 years old, was once again forced to leave the place where he had lived for 40 years, and the tramp Charlo was once again homeless.
In 1952, his film Career on stage was released, and in the same year he moved to Switzerland. The New York King (1957) is considered a portrayal of this life. In 1967 he made his last film, The Countess of Hong Kong.
The Countess of Hong Kong
In 1972, after 20 years, Chaplin was agreed to return to the United States and awarded the Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award, and when the 83-year-old Chaplin stepped onto the stage with a warm applause of up to 10 minutes, Chaplin was truly relieved.
Chaplin, 83 years old
China, who has won the Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award, has Jackie Chan, and Japan has Hayao Miyazaki.
Queen Elizabeth II (the current Queen) awarded Sir Chaplin, who was already 86 years old, on the title in 1975 and praised his films. Afterwards Chaplin regretted that the Queen did not tell him which movie and which place to play well. Despite his advanced age, Chaplin still loved his work and even planned to make another film, but he was in poor physical condition and had more than enough to do so.
Two years later, at Christmas, Chaplin died at home in Switzerland at the age of 88, ending a generation of comedy gurus.
Chaplin's Tomb
The statue of Chaplin in Vevey, Switzerland, where he lived in his later years
There is only one Chaplin in the world, a rare master of comedy. Each film is through the era of comedy, satire and reaction, and as the originator of the world comedy world, Chaplin has been imitated and has never been surpassed.