The impersonal city life

City Lights (1931)
Written, Produced, Directed, Acted: Charlie Chaplin

Hailed as one of the best movies of all time, this silent film was released when sound system was already coming to the mainstream. Chaplin also wrote the musical score. The famous musical tune in it, 'La Violetera', was contested for copyright infringement and was won by its Spanish composer Jose' Padilla.

Keeping with Chaplin's political views, this story paints a very impersonal picture of modern capitalist living. It is comical to see (besides Chaplin's antics) how the general public is seen in such a hurry to be heading to nowhere. They party in such a meaningless way without actually enjoying themselves. It seems as if the revelry is forced upon them. Almost robotic, they carry on their life after all the merrymaking without any attachments.

Town folks only seek for you when they are in dire straits or in need of a shoulder to cry on. Otherwise it just everybody with their ways.

In his own slapstick ways, Chaplin resumes his Tramp persona to bring forth the above messages. He rescues a suicidal and drunk rich man who repeatedly does not have a recollection of him when he is sober. Charlie's love interest is a blind flower girl. He helps her with eviction and for eyesight restoration surgery. Like a Franciscan priest, he bears suffering for the wellbeing of others.

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A swipe at McCarthyism

A King in New York (1957)
Many Americans look back at the early years of the 50s with much disdain. They had let the idea of a senator and politics of the time to go on a witch hunt on individuals based on frivolous hearsay. All in the name of nationalism and national security, many valuable man-hours were wasted. After all these, one would think that the general public cannot be taken for a ride anymore or can they? Based on turn of events of late, the hoodwinking continues.
Coming closer to our shores, people are being unpatriotic with same flimsy reasons with a hidden agenda behind them. It seem that we will never learn from history. We will have to endure the whole thrust of its mayhem before we look back at yourselves, in years to come, and hopefully laugh at ourselves!
The post WW2 years in America was tumultuous one. The Cold War had started and US of A had slowly taken the rein as the leader of the free world. Free they may be with their capitalistic market forces stance on liberty, the Government was hot under the collar with individuals sympathetic to the course of the left. Charlie Chaplin was one of the many performers blacklisted for being a member of the communist party. During a holiday trip back to his native England, his return visa was cancelled and lived exiled in UK. Anyway, he had not surrendered his British passport.
This last of Charlie Chaplin's film was a sarcastic look at the times that America was in. It poked fun as its anti-communist stance, the pop culture, the over glamorisation of youth, the invasion of privacy, the media frenzied population and the monetisation of everything. In a subtle way, the story shows how the old European values lose out to the demands of the American way of doing things. Chaplin also in a way, tries to re-live his youthful days in some scenes by trying to re-enact some acts from his 1927 'The Tramp'.
A deposed King Shadov of Estrovia, abdicates his throne and finds refuge in New York. Thinking that he could live in high life with his ill-gotten fortunes from his national coffers till the revolution in his country is over, he checks in to The Ritz with his ambassador. He is lured to attend a party where he is tricked to appear in a commercial. He was such a hit that the advertising industry wants more of him.
When he discovers that his fortune had been squandered by his trusted Prime Minister, he is forced to appear in commercials to pay his bills.
It is here that he takes a swipe at the public obsession with youthfulness and plastic surgery. He undergoes plastic surgery with disastrous outcome and reverts back to usual appearance!
He makes an official visit to a school. He befriends a child prodigy, Rupert, whose parents are being tried for involvement in the Communist Party. This child actor is Chaplin's son, Michael. Even though he showed so much calibre as an actor, he apparently went wayward later, living on dole.
Rupert later is on the run from the police for his parents' crimes. He seeks refuge with the King.
The rest of the story shows how the King is wrongly drawn in to the fiasco but is found innocent. He returns to Paris to be with his Queen.

Memorable quote:
"One of the minor annoyances in modern life is a revolution"

Star of the silent & talkies!

The Dictator (1940, B/W)
Acted, written, music and directed by: Charlie Chaplin
I always thought Charlie Chaplin only acted in silent movies. Obviously, I was wrong. Here, he stars in a dual role. It is actually a satire of Adolf Hitler. At the time of production and well anticipated time of screening, it was considered controversial as US had no bad blood with Germany and was not even involved in WW2 yet. It is interesting to note that years before the the end of Hitler's megalomaniac ambitions, these events and persecution of Jews are shown here. Of course, the non-believers of the existence of holocaust will say it is actually an orchestration by the Jews and Hollywood even before the world was at war!

Absent minded barber shaving
the whiskers of lady!

Chaplin stars in dual role, in a way, to show off to the world of his his ability to  act in two worlds, the silent and the talkies. In the role of a Jewish barber (unnamed), he shows off his slapstick type of acting and comedy, as the The Tramp, with cane, over sized shoes and ill-fitting suit. As the dictator, he exhibits his oratory skills and perhaps his political affiliations! As we know this Englishman surrendered his American citizenship after being accused of being a communist in the McCarthy era.
Chaplin is a soldier in the tail end of the First World War. A Jewish barber in civilian life, he is a bumbling soldier but manages to saves a commander (Schulz) in the war but gets a concussion and is hospitalised for a long time after the war

During his hospitalisation, his country, Tomainia,  is ruled by a despot, Adenoids Hynkel, who is out to make a blond blue eyed nation and harbours plans to be the Dictator of the world! Incidentally, Adenoid Hynkel looks a carbon copy of the barber.

Hynkel, who talks incessantly with no full stops in a language which sounds very much like adulterated German is assisted by Garbisch (sounds like garbage), the Minister of Propaganda and Herring, the War Minister.
Meanwhile, the amnesiac barber walks out of the hospital one day to resume his civilian duties, having no recollection of the war he was involved and the changes in the country where Jews are prosecuted.
The soldiers, the storm troopers, harass the people of his ghetto until Schultz comes to his rescue. He is given immunity by Schultz as token for saving his life in war.

Rare picture of 5'5"Chaplin & 5'3" Gandhi

Certain turns of events make Schultz be accused of undermining Hynkel and is imprisoned.
Meanwhile, Hynkel makes plans to attack his neighbouring country, Osterlich. His ally in war, the dictator of Bacteria, Benzino Napaloni (obvious reference to Benito Mussolini of Italy) visits him.
This starts a show of might by both dictators with comical results.
It continues with Schultz escaping from prison, being a fugitive on the run with the barber. Then there is switch of role during a duck hunting accident and escape from concentration camp that the barber becomes Hynkel. He ends the war with Osterlich, frees Jews from persecution in a lengthy classic address on the state radio pleading for hope for mankind.

The great dictators...

Wow, I always thought that Charlie Chaplin only did slapstick comedies in silent movies. I was pleasantly surprised when I bumped upon an excerpt from his old movie (he does not have new movies anyway) titled 'The Great Dictator'. For indulgence have a listen to the greater orator of all time who managed to transform and hoodwink the minds of the Germans into thinking that they were from the superior Aryan race even though he himself was Austrian. If only the German Institute of Arts had accepted the application of this vegetarian, the world would not had to endure the misery of another great War after the Great Trench War 2 decades afterwards. We would have more pictures to appreciate of the German country side and of Oktoberfest!

Silent movies 'say' so much!

Bored of the usual reading and feeling depressed? Why not sit back, relax and a enjoy a short snippet of Charlie Chaplin in a black and white (duh) silent movie?