CHARLIE THE REAL CHAMPION OF CHAMPION IN THE ARENA OF CINEMA

1. CHARLIE CHAPLIN
– THE REAL ONE MAN ARMY
Learning objectives:
- To understand why Chaplin was
important for film.
- To identify other reasons why
Chaplin is historically significant
ROBY VINCENT

2. What do we already know about
Charlie Chaplin?
ROBY VINCENT

3. Q) In 1915 who entered a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest and lost?
A) Charlie Chaplin himself!
Q) What does this suggest about Chaplin’s level of fame in America?
Q) Can you think of an actor or actress who is similarly famous today?
ROBY VINCENT

4. In 1978, the year after Chaplin’s death, he made the news.
Q) Can you guess how?
A) His body was dug up and stolen. The robbers rang his widow
and demanded a ransom of £400,000 for return of his body.
However, Charles' 51-year-old widow, Lady Oona Chaplin, refused
to pay up saying: "Charlie would have thought it ridiculous.“ The
men were eventually caught and the body was returned.
ROBY VINCENT

5. Charlie Chaplin - The Lion's Cage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79i84xYelZI
&feature=related
ROBY VINCENT

6. Charlie Chaplin - The Circus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UZHYfqOY
0Q&feature=related
ROBY VINCENT

7. Charlie Chaplin – Modern Times
Several years into the Great Depression, which left millions
unemployed, Chaplin made a very important film called
Modern Times(1936) during a time where there were many
strikes and protests in America as wages were low and
unemployment was sky high.
ROBY VINCENT

8. ROBY VINCENT

9. Charlie Chaplin – Modern Times
You are about to see a clip from Chaplin’s film “Modern Times”.
Think about what the message is underneath the jokes in the
scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CReDRHDYhk8
ROBY VINCENT

10. Charlie Chaplin – Modern Times
Q) What statement do you think Chaplin was trying to make with
this film?
Later in the film Chaplin’s character is eventually driven mad by
the stress and finds himself accidentally leading a demonstration
of workers, who are beaten and imprisoned by the police.
Q) Does the fact that his later films became more political make
him a more significant person than if he had just made purely
slapstick comedy films?
ROBY VINCENT

11. Charlie Chaplin – The Great Dictator
By the time The Great Dictator was
finished, Britain was at war with Germany and
the film was used as propaganda against
Hitler.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJOuoyoMhj8&feature=related
ROBY VINCENT

12. Charlie Chaplin – The Great Dictator
A strong opponent of racism, in 1937 Chaplin decided to make a film called “The
Great Dictator” about the danger of Hitler and Nazi Germany over two years
before Britain would fight against Germany in World War II. Many people tried to
stop him from making such a controversial film:
"Half-way through making The Great Dictator I began receiving alarming
messages from United Artists. They had been advised by the Hays Office that I
would run into censorship trouble. Also the English office was very concerned
about an anti-Hitler picture and doubted whether it could be shown in Britain. But
I was determined to go ahead, for Hitler must be laughed at."
Q) Why do you think both the American film company and the British government
pressured Chaplin to stop his film?
Q) Why do you think Chaplin felt that “Hitler must be laughed at”?
Q) Do you think that the fact that Chaplin insisted on making the film anyway makes
him a more significant person? ROBY VINCENT

13. Is Chaplin Significant?
• Bullet point as many reasons as you can now think of
to argue why Chaplin was signifcant.
• Some more sources are going to be passed from
table to table to help you to add to your list.
• You will have only 3 minutes with the sources before
they will be passed on to the next group.
ROBY VINCENT

14. In 1919 Chaplin joined with D.W. Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford to
form United Artists, a film production company that enabled the stars to distribute
their films without studio interference.
More recently United Artists has produced films such as the Rocky series, Hotel
Rwanda, Fame and Hot Tub Time Machine.ROBY VINCENT

15. Over 2060 pages of files on Charlie Chaplin
were written by the FBI.
The files include
memos, reports, investigation
summaries, newspaper clippings and
interviews concerning his political views.
Chaplin first came to the attention of the FBI
in the early 1920's, due to his left of centre
political views.
Chaplin came under increased review after
his political films "Modern Times“ in 1936 and
the "The Great Dictator“ in 1941
After leaving the United States in 1952 to
attended the London premiere of his film
"Limelight," Chaplin's re-entry visa was
revoked, and he was barred from re-entering
the United States as a security risk.
He returned to the United States only once
more, in 1972, to accept a special
Oscar, presented to him at the Academy
ROBY VINCENT

16. Source - Extract taken from a biography on
Chaplin from www.charliechaplin.com
“Charles Chaplin was one of the rare
comedians who not only financed and
produced all his films (with the exception of “A
Countess from Hong Kong”), but was the
author, actor, director and soundtrack
composer of them as well.”
ROBY VINCENT

17. Source – From an interview with
Charlie Chaplin
The English office was very concerned about an anti-Hitler
picture and doubted whether it could be shown in Britain. But
I was determined to go ahead, for Hitler must be laughed at.
Had I known of the actual horrors of the German
concentration camps, I could not have made The Great
Dictator; I could not have made fun of the homicidal insanity
of the Nazis. However, I was determined to ridicule their
mystic bilge about a pure-blooded race.
ROBY VINCENT

18. On the July
6th, 1925 Charlie
Chaplin was the
first actor to ever
appear on the
cover of the
famous “Time”
magazine.
ROBY VINCENT

19. In both England and
America, stamps have
been produced to
celebrate Chaplin’s life
and career.
ROBY VINCENT

20. Charlie Chaplin even
had an asteroid named
after him four years after
his death by a Ukrainian
astronomer, Lyudmila
Karachkina.
Ms. Karachkina was a fan
of Chaplin’s and when she
discovered 131 asteroids
she named one of
them 3623 Chaplin.
It resides in the asteroid
"belt" between Mars and
Jupiter and appears as a
magnitude 12.1
object, making it visible in
a moderately strong
telescope. ROBY VINCENT

21. Charlie Chaplin
with his wife
outside
Buckingham
Palace shortly
after receiving his
Knighthood from
the Queen on 4th
March 1975.
ROBY VINCENT

22. Which do you most agree with...?
• Chaplin was significant because he was very
famous, funny and popular.
• Chaplin was significant because his films made
important statements about the time in which he
lived.
• Chaplin was significant because he recognised the
danger of Nazi Germany and was bold enough to
challenge it in film.
ROBY VINCENT

23. Would you argue that Chaplin
was...
...more significant than Churchill?
...more significant than Fleming?
Make sure you are able to provide good
supporting evidence for your argument!
ROBY VINCENT