In the summer of 1954, Premier Zhou led a Chinese delegation to Switzerland to attend the Geneva Conference. When the Prime Minister learned that chaplin's family was also staying here, he invited him and his family to lunch.
Chaplin excitedly and worriedly responded to the invitation. When the car that picked him up slowly drove into the villa, he saw Premier Zhou standing on the steps with a smile on his face to greet him, and his worried heart gradually relaxed.
Premier Zhou clasped Chaplin's hands in welcome and greatly appreciated his artistic achievements, which warmed Chaplin, who had been "deported". During the meal, Premier Zhou invited him to try the Chinese specialty, crispy duck, but Chaplin shook his head and said, "I can't eat it, I have a special affection for duck."
Why did Premier Zhou invite the Chaplin family to lunch? What special relationship does Chaplin have with ducks? What other interesting things happened during the dinner?
In fact, the early life of the comedy master was not as happy as in the movie, but it was miserable.
Chaplin was born on 16 April 1889 in the Lamberth slum of London, England, and lived a very difficult life.
His father, who was poor and drunk with wine, often disappeared and died of illness when Chaplin was 6 years old. For Chaplin, he hardly knew that there was such a father, and the only person who could bring light to life was the gentle mother.
After my father's death, my mother earned money from her performances on stage to support her family. Once, when her mother's voice suddenly stopped coming out, the audience roared in protest, and the anxious stage supervisor pushed the young Chaplin onto the stage. Unexpectedly, he immediately attracted the attention of the audience with extraordinary artistic talent and won the applause of the whole hall.
But her mother was abandoned by the amusement park because of this mistake, and had to do some needlework in exchange for a meager salary to support Chaplin and his half-brother Sidney.
Later, his mother was insane due to great stress and was sent to an insane asylum. The two children are lonely and lonely, and they can only live together on the streets of London, picking up rotten vegetables and leaves that others don't want.
It wasn't until their mother was discharged from the hospital that they returned to another small attic in Lambeth, where they could be called their nest of comfort after a wandering life.
Because of their poor lives, the Chaplin brothers had to fend for themselves. They begged the owner of the amusement park to take them in, dancing, singing, selling tickets, moving props, etc. in the theater, and all kinds of dirty work were taken care of by the two brothers. In addition, Chaplin also tried to become a glassmaker and barber apprentice, and these rich low-level life experiences gave him unlimited creative inspiration later, which was arranged to be interpreted in the film.
As an adult, his brother Sidney entered the then-famous Carnot Pantomime and found fred, the troupe's owner. At his behest, his younger brother Chaplin also succeeded in entering the troupe.
Although Chaplin did not have the opportunity to show his comedic talent when he was in the troupe, only playing villains such as villains and drunks in the farce, the troupe created a perfect opportunity for him to "turn over".
In 1913, Chaplin toured the United States with the Canoir Troupe. During a performance in New York, he was favored by the American production company and signed a one-year contract to replace the comedian who asked too much to star in the company's film, and from then on, Chaplin officially began his film career. And his most famous and influential film image, Charlotte, was made in this company.
The image of the tramp Charlotte made him famous and became a world-famous comedy star, and various American film companies competed to sign him at a high price. But these companies all had restrictions on his content production, and Chaplin, who could not fully express his heart, decided to go it alone.
Just when his career was at its peak, the flames of World War II swept through all Jews. Dissatisfied with Hitler's dictatorship, Chaplin completed the script outline of "The Great Dictator" in three days and prepared to start filming.
But the U.S. government is extremely afraid. At that time, the war had not yet fully broken out in Europe, and many people feared that they would be like the Jews, so they threatened Chaplin to abandon the filming of the film. Some people even piled animal carcasses in front of his house to force him to stop there.
Chaplin was not intimidated, and he not only announced in the newspaper the news of continuing to shoot the film, but also directly revealed the plot of the answer. In the end, the film was filmed and broadcast in major theaters.
He portrayed Hitler as unreasonable and stupid, putting a globe at his fingertips and letting the world see Hitler's ambitions. But his call for peace was not accepted by the American people, who believed that Chaplin was causing war, and the U.S. government and some right-wingers were extremely dissatisfied with him.
If "The Great Dictator" was an attack on Hitler, then the later "Monsieur Verdou" was a clear attack on American capitalism and war mongers. Naturally, the U.S. government will not let it be released, many movie theaters also refuse to broadcast, and Chaplin even confiscated the film production fee.
This "arrogant" resistance made the U.S. government angry, and in this way, Chaplin was "deported" and permanently banned from returning. Forced to do so, Chaplin's family moved to a small, remote village in Switzerland.
In the summer of 1954, Premier Zhou led a Chinese delegation to the Geneva Conference, where he also stayed.
As early as the beginning of the last century, Premier Zhou had watched Chaplin's new drama short film, and at that time he was attracted by Chaplin's comedic expression and was impressed by his special appearance in the film.
This time in Switzerland, I had the opportunity to see Chaplin's new work "City Lights", and I was extremely impressed by the special meaning expressed in the film. When the Prime Minister learned that Chaplin had been "deported" by the United States and was now living in a remote village in Switzerland, he decided to invite him and his family.
Stills from City Lights
In the afternoon, Chaplin, who was resting at home, heard a non-stop ringing telephone, and he felt strange. Since being "expelled", friends around him have taken the initiative to distance themselves from him, not to mention those capitalists who only look at profits. Therefore, the phone at home does not ring once a week, as if it were a fake.
He immediately walked over to pick up the phone, and a cordial and friendly voice came from the other end: "Hello Mr. Chaplin, I am a member of the Chinese delegation. This call is to convey Premier Zhou's invitation, and he hopes that you and your family will come as a guest. ”
Chaplin was very excited and immediately agreed to Premier Zhou's invitation, and no one had dared to contact him in this way for too long. But after the excitement, he felt a faint uneasiness.
Chaplin under the stage
In fact, in the early 1930s, Chaplin had been to Shanghai, China, and that stay was very short, less than 24 hours. He took advantage of the rest time of the ship docking, had a hasty interaction with Mei Lanfang and other Chinese masters, and also saw the fragmented and displaced Chinese in the war, which left a deep impression on him.
Although he had been to China and had met Chinese artists, he had never had contact with the Chinese Communists, so he had a sense of awe in his heart. The nervous Chaplin also made special preparations, for fear of being disrespectful in front of Premier Zhou.
Chaplin (second from left) and Mei Lanfang (fourth from left)
When he entered the villa by car, his mood had been much relieved. The villa has obviously been carefully cleaned up and is full of strong Chinese style. What he did not expect, however, was that Premier Zhou would greet him on the steps in front of the apartment.
At Chaplin's most beautiful time, he had met many important leaders of many countries, but none of them would personally greet him like Premier Zhou, which made him feel highly valued.
As soon as he got out of the car, Chaplin saw that Premier Zhou was already smiling and holding out his hands to him. Premier Zhou clasped his hands and said, "Ah, I met you on the screen 40 years ago!" ”
Seeing that Premier Zhou was so cordial, Chaplin suddenly felt less nervous: "Mr. Prime Minister, it is a great pleasure to see you. ”
Premier Zhou and Chaplin
Premier Zhou invited the Chaplin family into the house and praised his artistic talents as he walked: "I just watched your new work City Lights a few days ago. Your performance in the film is truly fiery, especially the critique of the ills of capitalism, which has a profound significance. ”
This simple greeting was extraordinary for Chaplin, who was suffering from political persecution. By this time the United States had banned Chaplin's films, seized several "stubborn" movie theaters, deported him, and barred him from returning to the United States.
But Premier Zhou, who is from China, is so kind and appreciative of his talents that it feels as if a warm current has flowed through his heart, eliminating some kind of estrangement in the past in an instant. When he walked into the living room with Premier Zhou, he no longer had a sense of restraint and began to talk freely.
The two exchanged pleasantly until noon, when Premier Zhou invited Chaplin and his family to lunch. At the banquet, Premier Zhou asked him to try The Chinese Moutai wine, and Chaplin gladly agreed, picking up the wine glass in front of him and drinking it all.
Chaplin film image
The hot liquor slid down his throat into his stomach, and he immediately raised his thumb and praised: "I like this kind of spirits very much, because this is the wine that really men drink!" Then, tentatively, he asked, "Are you allowed to bring a bottle home as a souvenir?" ”
The prime minister immediately replied: "Of course, I will bring you two new bottles of Moutai wine later." Now please taste our Chinese specialty, crispy roast duck. ”
Unexpectedly, Chaplin shook his head and said, "I have special feelings for ducks, so I don't eat duck meat!" ”
Premier Zhou listened to the busy questioning of the reason, and Chaplin said solemnly: "The tramp Charlotte I created, his hilarious and funny walking posture, is inspired by the appearance of the duck walking." To thank the ducks, I stopped eating duck meat. ”
The movie image Charlo
Premier Zhou believed it, sincerely apologized, and was about to let people remove the dish, but unexpectedly, Chaplin said in a unique funny tone: "However, this duck is not an American duck, I can still taste it!" ”
After listening, the people in the living room all laughed heartily, and Premier Zhou was also relieved to let people bring the crispy duck up. The steaming ducks were placed in the middle of the table, and Chaplin immediately savored them with great pleasure. After eating a few rolls in a row, Chaplin praised with satisfaction: "This duck is crispy and refreshing, it is really worthy of the name." ”
He also spoke with interest of his past experience, whenever he went to a country, wherever he went, people there learned to walk his duck steps to welcome him. With that, he stood up and performed his signature duck step. Suddenly, there was a cheerful laughter in the audience.
Unique duck step
Chaplin was still full of wine and food, and he gratefully said to Premier Zhou: "Thank you again for inviting me and my family to lunch, it was a very pleasant and happy day." Then, in a regretful tone, he said: "The fly in the ointment is that I have a daughter who missed the banquet and failed to taste Chinese food." ”
The attentive Premier Zhou had already prepared a duck and said to Chaplin: "You will not be sorry, you have already prepared crispy duck and baked cake package, please take it home to the children who have not come to taste it." ”
Chaplin was so excited and surprised by Premier Zhou, who thought so much about others, that it was unexpected that the leader of a country could think so closely about an "unwelcome" person and give himself such sincere and careful care when they first met.
Chaplin stared at Premier Zhou for a long time, bent down to thank him, and presented premier Zhou with film film film in which he starred in "Stage Career".
Stills from "Stage Career"
On the occasion of parting, Premier Zhou and the Chaplin family took a group photo to commemorate the occasion. As he shook hands and said goodbye, he thanked again: "Thank you for your contribution to peace, today will be an unforgettable day for me and my family!" ”
After sending Chaplin away, Premier Zhou said affectionately to the staff around him: "Mr. Chaplin is a man of integrity, just like the role he plays in the film, worthy of being an influential contemporary master of art." ”
This meeting left a very good impression on Chaplin and further increased his friendly feelings toward China. Later, when the Chinese art troupe rushed to Paris to perform, he also took his family to watch it and admired it.
Chaplin also shed tears of emotion after watching the color drama film "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", telling reporters: "China has a history of civilization for thousands of years, and I hope that you will fully explore the excellent traditional culture and make better films." ”