

The film is widely considered to be the greatest satire ever made and is often cited as one of the finest films ever produced. At the end of the film, Chaplin used the inclusion of sound to great effect during a powerful closing speech, delivered by Charlie himself, stepping out of character. Image Credit: Trailer screenshot, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsĬhaplin plays both of the central characters: a fascist dictator and a persecuted Jewish barber. Filmed around the eve of World War Two, it was Chaplin’s first all-talking picture, even though it was twelve years after the advent of sound for film. Now one of the most famous performers on the planet, it was striking that in 1940, Chaplin released his most famous film to date, the political satire The Great Dictator. He created The Great Dictator in response to Hitler
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Griffith to found the United Artists Corporation. Over the coming years, Chaplin released a series of successful films including The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1928) for which Chaplin received his first Academy Award, and City Lights (1931), a silent film produced in the new era of the ‘talkie’. In 1919 he joined forces with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D. He also made a comedy about war called Shoulder Arms, which, released in 1918, was a hit at the box office and hugely added to Chaplin’s popularity. During World War One, he mounted a national tour on behalf of the war effort. He built his own studio in the Hollywood residential section of La Brea Avenue. In 1917, Chaplin decided to become an independent producer so that he could have more freedom and decision-making when making his films. Some of the most famous are The Floorwalker, The Fireman, The Vagabond, Easy Street and One A.M. He signed with the Mutual Film Corporation for a significant fee to make 12 two-reel comedies. Image Credit: First National Pictures (work for hire), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commonsīy 1916, Chaplin was fully in demand. ‘The Kid’ (1921), with Jackie Coogan, combined comedy with drama and was Chaplin’s first film to exceed an hour Chaplin went on to play the character of the Tramp in dozens of films. Indeed, his initial salary was $150 a week, but his overnight success led to many producers bidding ever-higher sums for his talent. The character, with his instantly recognisable moustache and baggy trousers, was seen first by audiences in Kid Auto Races at Venice and became tremendously popular. It was whilst working with Keystone Film Company that Charlie developed his iconic character, the Tramp. He created the character of ‘the Tramp’ early on in his career In 1912, the Fred Karno troupe returned to the US for a repeat tour, and Chaplin was offered a motion picture contract. American audiences loved him, with his sketch ‘A Night in an English Music Hall’ proving particularly popular. Saintsbury and then William Gillette in different productions of Sherlock Holmes.Ĭharlie entered vaudeville comedy and moved to the United States in 1910 to join the Fred Karno Repertoire Company, where he was employed as a featured player. Aged around 12, he was offered the opportunity to work in a ‘legitimate’ show, appearing as ‘Billy’ the page boy, first in support of H. Charlie was quickly popular because of his outstanding tap dancing skills.
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Charlie made his professional debut as the member of a youth group called ‘The Eight Lancashire Lads’. Having inherited their parents’ performing talent, the brothers took to the stage. Here’s how Charlie Chaplin became a worldwide icon. However, Chaplin’s natural charisma, eye for business and innovative writing, acting, directing and composing talent quickly led him to stardom. Charlie and his brother Sydney were forced to take care of themselves, turning to work on the stage as a means of making a living. His father, an actor, died when Charlie was ten and his mother, an actress and singer, suffered with mental illness and was moved into an asylum when he was fourteen. Born into poverty, Charlie found himself in the workhouse twice before the age of nine. One of film’s most iconic figures, Charlie Chaplin was born on 16 April 1889 in London.
