Hetty Kelly was his true first love. She was a dancer who used to entertain and won his love when she was fifteen. He was madly in love with her and asked if she would marry him. Sigh… If she had said yes then the scene would have been different. But the answer was a no which shattered him and asked her not meet each other for the good of both of them. Hetty Kelly died of influenza in 1918. Like once he said “I love walking in the rain because, nobody can see me crying”. **Who is he? He is none other than the screen legend Charlie Chaplin.
When I was doing a small research on Charlie Chaplin, I read one of his quotes which enforced me to paste here and how truly a personality has come out from pain, shedding tears back stage and playing a clown in front of us. “To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it”. You know what? We get to learn a lot from this clown. But the funniest part is, all clowns are very serious in life. He was born in walwarth, London, England on 16th April, 1889 and died on 25th December, 1977.
How many of us tasted real pain? His mother Hannah was badly injured during a stage show due to the violent audience who used to come and ruin the play. So, little Charlie went to the stage and sang ‘Jack Jones’. Life is strange and for a little boy who had to look after his mother who was bed rested due to this act, the brave little boy immerged into a ‘tough’ personality. I highlighted the word ‘tough’ since we all know that Charlie Chaplin was just 5 Feet tall or so… “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot”… Not always! But, in his case if he had to talk about this then we shouldn’t regret over anything. Like I said before, there is something about this person.
Migrating from London to America, Charlie Chaplin started off his career, something special in a different way. "I had no idea what makeup to put on. I did not like my get-up as the press reporter [In making a living]. However on the way to the wardrobe I thought I would dress in baggy pants, big shoes, a cane and a derby hat. I wanted everything to be a contradiction: the pants baggy, the coat tight, the hat small and the shoes large. I was undecided whether to look old or young, but remembering Sennett had expected me to be a much older man, I added a small moustache, which I reasoned, would add age without hiding my expression. I had no idea of the character. But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the makeup made me feel the person he was. I began to know him, and by the time I walked on stage he was fully born." (Chaplin, My Autobiography: pp.154).
“Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles” **and true to the core. Charlie Chaplin is a sensation for those who want to relax for a while. He is an entertainer for those who think about comedy. And no one has even looked in detail about his personal life. People can choose and choice is given by God.
What do I like about Charlie Chaplin? His expressions come first in anybody’s mind. And of course an actor needs to have expressions to convey the message. If you look at Rowan Atkinson, he does the same thing. Expressions are the key to success. Example: - Sir Charlie Chaplin.
My review may not be about his work but it revolves around his life and love. Humanity and the terms are used widely in his play, quote and do I need to complete?
There are many controversies revolve in a legends life. Charlie Chaplin was not exempted from them and his book ‘My autobiography’ was just an example. Those who haven’t read them please read and think for once… what’s life all about…? Life for him was more than those comics. A day without laughter is a day wasted. True! Life could be wonderful if people would leave you alone. And he was all alone. Ignorance is bliss and you going to gain power out of it. Believe in yourself. Charlie Chaplin did so think… think again…
Legacy (Courtesy : Wikipedia)
A minor planet, 3623 Chaplin, discovered by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Georgievna Karachkina in 1981, is named after Chaplin. There is a statue of Chaplin in front of Colosseum Theatre in Oslo. In 1915, Chaplin joined the Los Angeles Athletic Club, and lived there periodically until 1922.
A mural of him in his "Tramp" costume adorns one large panel on the north wall of the seventh floor, alongside the running track. There is a statue of Chaplin in front of the alimentarium in Vevey to commemorate the last part of his life, and a replica also stands in Leicester Square in London.
Among his many honours, Chaplin has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Chaplin’s star was not dedicated until the 1970s, due to controversies over his politics in the 1950s and 1960s).
In 1985 he was honoured with his image on a postage stamp of the United Kingdom, and in 1994 he appeared on a United States postage stamp designed by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.
He has also a bronze statue in Waterville, County Kerry in Ireland, to show Irish appreciation for his love of the country. From 1917 to 1918, silent film actor Billy West made more than 20 films as a comedian precisely imitating Chaplin’s tramp character, makeup and costume.
Chaplin has a waxwork in Madame Tussauds.
Fernand Léger’s film Ballet Mécanique opens with an animated image of Chaplin which is broken apart like a puzzle. The puzzle-like Chaplin image returns at the end of the film.