The Circus (1928) - Charlie needs a hug

directed by Charles Chaplin / starring Charles Chaplin, Merna Kennedy, Allan Garcia

Last summer I was positively addicted to Charlie Chaplin, watched most of his full-length films and loved them to pieces. Now, after a little break from the wonderful black-and-white world of the Tramp, I realised there's still so much for me to see. So I watched The Circus, one of Chaplin's less known full-lenght silent films. Next to City Lights, The Gold Rush and Modern Times, The Circus is usually left unmentioned. Such a terrible shame, I say! Talk about unfairly underrated... Though it didn't top City Lights in my book, I'd definitely place it somewhere right below it, with The Gold Rush and The Kid.

In The Circus our dear belowed Tramp gets a job in a travelling circus, after accidently being discovered by the ringmaster, while chased by the police to and from the stage. The crowd loves his unintentional comedy, so the ringmaster gives him a job as an assistant property man to keep him around, Tramp being unaware that the circus prospers thanks to him. The ringmaster also has a daughter, whom he abuses all the time. Tramp befriends with her and soon developes romantic feelings towards her, too. But then there's the handsome robe walker, who steals her heart...

When it comes to Chaplin's silent films, it's unnecessary to point out that they're funny. But I will anyway. It doesn't really make much sense that I laugh aloud at someone falling down or lifting his hat or being chased by a horse. I don't know how he does it. But no one does it like him. Also, the element of melancholy is always present in Chaplin's films. That's what gives them depth and makes them stand out as profound, touching and relatable stories. As much as I loved the comedy of The Circus, I loved the ending the most. It wasn't a happy one like the ending of City Lights, for example, but it's very close to topping that in my book. Just perfect.

By the way, if you have too much time and want to waste it on something silly, you might want to take a look at the Charlie Chaplin time travel mystery, which was started just last year as a man claimed he's found a woman talking to a cell-phone in a scene of The Circus. Haha. Someone is a bit desperate in finding some excitement in life.

Now... If a picture ever gave you a terrible urge to hug someone, it's the picture below. Just look at poor, poor Charlie. The production of The Circus was reportedly more difficult than any other's of Chaplin's films. At one point a fire destroyed the whole set (the picture was taken that day. Aw, poor thing. Just look at that face and try not to feel sorry for him) and some of the already filmed material was also destroyed due to some techinical hitch. In addition, Charlie was going through a very tough time in his personal life, being in the middle of a rough and public divorce from his second wife. Reportedly, he had to go away in the middle of the production to recover from a nervous breakdown. And yet... look at the outcome and marvel what he still managed to create in the middle of that mayhem. I'd high-five Mr Chaplin if I could! Or maybe give him a hug first.

P.S. I was watching Chaplin the other day during the Christmas break and my 20-month-old nephew walked into the room. It happened to be the bit where Charlie shows the boxing scene from City Lights to one of his wives (don't remember which one... Sorry Charlie, but there were quite a few of them) and I was about to pause the DVD, before he'd demand me to put Cars on or show some Bob the Builder clips from Youtube. Instead, he looked at the Tramp jumping up and down in the boxing ring, and started to laugh! Afterwards, he'd come to my room again, imitating the Tramp's jumping, and as I understood and showed him the clip from Youtube, he wanted to see it again and again. I was one proud godmother! I might be failing (so far... I'm not giving up!) in brainwashing him into Toy Story, but at least he has an excelent taste in silent films!

P.P.S. Today I noticed Voddler is full of Chaplin's less known short films! Yay! I know what I'll be doing from now on before going to sleep... Half an hour of laughter will guarantee you a good night's sleep.

P.P.P.S. Currently I'm trying to convince myself that 105 € is not that much money and certainly an amount that could be spared from a student's monthly budget. Look at this. Ten of Charlie Chaplin's greatest films, plus a documentary, all in one package. 105 €. It's not really bad at all when you think about it, is it...? That's less than 10 € per DVD... I'm so close to ordering it right away... All I need is some excuse. Shame my birthday's not until June and I already kind of bought myself a Christmas present...

P.P.P.P.S. In a few weeks I'll see The Gold Rush with the music played by a live orchestra! Can't wait!

"I'll give you fifty dollars a week. Sixty! ... I'll double it!"
"Nothing less than a hundred."

Modern Times

After spending another awesome week in the woods (sorry for the silence, again) enjoying my summer job and the sunshine, I was able not to feel guilty for wasting a beautiful day by staying indoors, watching movies. This one I watched on the terrace, though, and it was only slightly too hot and bright for such activity. (Watching movies outside. On your own backyard. There's some modern times for you...)

Modern Times (1936)

Directed by Charles Chaplin. Starring Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard.

Long story short: The Tramp gets fired from his mind-numbing job at factory after suffering a nervous breakdown, and together with a homeless woman he struggles to get along in the industrialized modern society, trying out different jobs and dreaming of a better tomorrow.

As you might remember, I loved City Lights, so I obviously expected a lot from this film, too. At the same time, I was careful not to expect too much, because I didn't want to be disappointed. And yes, as I quite soon noticed, I didn't like Modern Times as much as City Lights, but was able to enjoy it anyway.

The film, in a typical Chaplin way, touches some very dark and serious topics, like unemployment, death, orphanhood, poverty, loneliness, industrialism... And yet it's a very hopeful and encouraging film. In other words, we smile though our hearts are breaking. Speaking of which, the music score is brilliant, again. Chaplin's hard work on that area (too) really shows.

I quote this from Modern Times IMDb board: "Find me a comedic actor today who can act, write, direct, compose, produce, sing, make social commentary, and roller skate like a madman all in one movie." Amen to that. The word 'genious' is sadly overused these days, but it would be a crime not to use the word when descriping Charlie Chaplin.

Modern Times was Chaplin's last film about the Tramp - it's also the only Tramp film with speech. However, it's not a full talkie. The sound is used in a very clever way: the only spoken voices we hear come from machines, techinical devices. We don't hear the Tramp talk, thank god, but we do hear him sing in my favourite scene, where he's forced to perform a song without remembering the words, so he sings complete gibberish but we are able to follow the story, because he dances and acts it out at the same time. It hilarious and very impressive, once again proving that Charlie Chaplin is the master of pantomine. (He's going on 50 here and still moving like a youngster.) These words of nonsense are the first and last words we ever hear the Tramp utter - how cool is that? (The Tramp's very last words can be read from his lips: "Smile! C'mon!" And we do.)

I'm not sure why I didn't like Modern Times as much as City Lights. Maybe it was just my current mood. Maybe City Lights' definite sense of a love story made me fall for it more - Modern Times is about friendship, rather than romance. But even if this film didn't quite reach my expectations, it was still wonderful, profound, sweet and heartwarming. And I will continue my expedition in the Chaplin universe. I think The Great Dictator might be my next stop.

Finally, a fact I can't fit anywhere else: Paulette Goddard was married to Chaplin at the time. She also (quote from IMDb) "was the leading contender for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). Her inability to produce a marriage certificate to prove she and Charles Chaplin were married, and the appearance of Vivien Leigh on the scene, lost her the part". Bugger.

"What's the use of trying?"
"Buck up - never say die. We'll get along."

Chaplin's City Lights to light up a rainy day!

(Okay, it's not raining right now, but it was a moment ago. For a moment. Eh. I refuse to change the title. So let's hope for some rain! ... Not looking very good out there, rain-wise. Oh well. Let's all imagine it's the ugliest rainy October Monday afternoon ever.)

City Lights (1931)

Directed by Charles Chaplin. Starring Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherill, Harry Myers. (+ Produced by Charles Chaplin. Written by Charles Chaplin. Original Music by Charles Chaplin... You get the point.)

Long story short: The Tramp wakes up for a new day, attracting trouble and causing general confusion from the very beginning. By chance he meets the blind girl, who mistakes him for a millionaire. He buys one of the flowers the girl is selling and holds on to it like a great treasure. When the evening comes the Tramp meets a drunken millionaire, about to commit suicide. Charlie stops him, and they become friends, until the morning after the millionare sobers up. Later he meets the girl again, still pretending to be a millionare and when he learns she's in big financial trouble, he's determined to help her.

What can I say? City Lights is a classic, and for a reason. I try to avoid the excess of words of praise, but the film is simply wonderful. It's really a shame how the younger generation, including me until recently, is so very ignorant about this wonderful black-and-white world, where words are needless, because you have faces, expressions and body movements. Chaplin was under a lot of pressure to make this a talkie - I'm so glad he held his ground! (By the way, this is the fantastic Robert Downey Jr. in the fantastic film Chaplin, explaining in a fantastic way, why they shouldn't make the Tramp talk. Oh dear god that clip is fantastic.)

I love the nostalgic opening credits. And again, I love the shaky film quality, though it's significantly better now than in the early short films. And well, it's the 30s, after all. And Chaplin is a grown man in his fourties, an experienced film maker. It shows, really, the camera movement and editing is so much better! And of course this is a full-length feature, done with considerably more money and effort.

Needless to say, the film was very very funny. An example, the boxing scene, here. The plot is simple, and yet very clever, charming and touching. The ending was brilliance. Guess now I know where the origins of those open endings I like so much lie... Anyway. This was the first full-length Chaplin film I saw. Not the last one, though. (A trivial fact: City Lights was apparently the favourite movie of Orson Welles.)

You'd think that for a 21st century brat like me, silent films would be boring and difficult to follow, but no fear. I wasn't bored once. Me! A girl who yawns at most films made before the 90s. I'm almost hoping they'd go back to making silent films. Though it wouldn't be so much fun without Chaplin.

The man is simply a joy to watch.

"Be careful how you're driving."

"Am I driving?"