A weekend with Charlie Chaplin

10/25/13 Modern Times, 1936 American Film Institute #81

It is almost the perfect time to be watching Modern Times with technology screaming at us in bursts, I mean, how many versions of the iPhone do you need? I kind of felt for the Little Tramp because I feel a little overwhelmed sometimes, and there are often stories on the Internet about people opting out of technology to regain a little sanity. The Little Tramp works in a factory and has a job on an assembly line; it's so repetitive that even when he's not twisting the bolts, he makes those movements anyway. This leads to several funny scenes that show Chaplin's skill at physical comedy. There are so many moments that are iconic, and that have been scene in clips over the years, including the Tramp getting caught in the gears of the big machine, which is also a metaphor for Man getting caught up in modern technology. One of the funniest parts was the feeding machine. It was designed to make workers more efficient, but even the factory bosses see it's not practical. The movie was made in 1936, the middle of the Great Depression, and there are scenes of workers rioting and marching, and somehow the Tramp winds up at the head of the protest march and tossed into jail. The Tramp meets a young girl (the Gamine), played by Paulette Goddard, who is trying to keep her family together and feeds them by stealing bananas from a boat. She and the Little Tramp team up to create a household together and set off to tackle the world. The film was mostly silent, and I thought it was interesting (and most likely intentional) that most of the voices or sound came through some kind of interface: a video screen or a phonograph record. Until the end, when Chaplin sings. I was surprised that the movie was not nominated for any Academy Awards, not for the score (by Alfred Newman), direction, or acting. They didn't have the special or visual effects back then, but I would think that Chaplin would have been acknowledged for that. I would definitely recommend seeing the movie because it is a part of movie history and it's a a representation of cultural history as well. Also, it's an opportunity to see Charlie Chaplin do his thing. The DVD I got from the library had a special feature on the DVD that gave helpful insight into the film.

10/26/13 Limelight, Best Original Dramatic Score, 1972

There are a lot of interesting facts about this movie, the one that struck me was that movie was actually released in the rest of the world in 1952, but was not released in America until 1972 because Chaplin was accused of being a Communist sympathizer and was not allowed to re-enter the US. Charlie's children make brief appearances in the film, as well as Buster Keaton, Nigel Bruce actually has a larger role (Nigel Bruce played Watson to Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes) and Norman Lloyd also co-stars (Lloyd may be more familiar to viewers as Dr. Auschlander from TV's St. Elsewhere). Limelight was one of the last films that Chaplin made and was the most serious. And if it says anything about me, I loved it. Chaplin plays Calvero, a once popular stage comedian who has stopped being funny unless he's drunk. This is a talkie and you really get to hear Chaplin's great voice (many actors from the Silent Film era could not transition to talkies because their voices were not suited to the big screen). It may sound strange, but he sounded like James Mason, or Eddie Izzard doing his James Mason impression. He was wonderful to listen to. Calvero finds a young neighbor passed out from a failed suicide attempt. The doctor who is called tells Calvero that she cannot be left alone, so he begins to nurse her back to health. Thereza (Terry), played by Claire Bloom, was an aspiring dancer but has convinced herself she cannot walk. Calvero tried his hand at Freudian analysis to get to the bottom of her problem (it almost seemed like he was mocking the process, but that could be my cynicism kicking in). Throughout the film Calvero fights with his drinking, although Terry inspires him to give it up on a few occasions, he never quite beats it.Terry eventually begins dancing again and falls in love with Calvero, even though he is a few decades older than her (there were some things that reminded me of A Star is Born, but it's different enough it didn't seem derivative). There are more than a couple of roadblocks on the relationship and they part ways for a period, but then they reunite at the end. The end of the movie is an opportunity to see Buster Keaton and Chaplin on screen together in a comedy routine. Normally I do not watch films that have an overtly romantic storyline, I don't find them interesting or even plausible ('plausibility' is probably a word that shouldn't be used for most movies anyway, since they are usually someone's fantasy). This isn't overtly romantic, nor did I find it sappy or cloying. Claire Bloom was a pleasure to watch, early on in the movie she is struggling and weak, and really needs Calvero, but later, the tables are turned and she becomes his strength and his inspiration. The end of the movie just about broke my heart. It was a great moment and I loved how Chaplin framed it. Chaplin. Larry Russell and Ray Rasch won the Oscar for their screenplay, which is beautiful. After this weekend, I have added Chaplin's autobiography and two biographies to my reading list. There is at least one more film on the AFI list, so this will not be the last you hear on Charlie Chaplin.

On a side note, I recently finished All I Did Was Ask by Terry Gross of National Public Radio's Fresh Air. It was a collection of interviews she has had over the years with different actors, writers, musicians and artists. I think she asks some very insightful questions and always seems genuinely interested in her guests. In some ways, it is too bad her show was not around in Chaplin's era, I would love to know his thoughts and responses to her questions (hence, the reason I will be reading his autobiography).