D before Charlie Chaplin’s work, comedy was not taken seriously.
A Global Artist
A. Gautam
Publicity Portrait of young Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin as The Tramp in his second film
Imagine going to see the latest movie and hearing no sound. While that seems hard to fathom, the first movies were silent. No music or spoken words were to be heard. The spoken words appeared at the bottom of the screen. One of the most famous movie stars in the silent era was Charlie Chaplin. His work elevated the standard of comedy to the ranks of great works of art.
Childhood
Charlie Chaplin was born to talented parents in 1889 in England. His parents were actors, and his mother sang as well. Unfortunately, his father abandoned the family, and his mother’s health worsened. Young Charlie and his siblings learned to survive on their own.
Artistic Beginnings
When Charlie’s mother lost her voice in the middle of a show, Charlie went out to stand in for her, and the crowd immediately loved him. Shortly after, Charlie Chaplin went around with various groups of people performing vaudeville shows. These live shows had a variety of acts like singing, dancing, and comedy. Even though Charlie performed shows all the time, he worked many odd jobs to support himself.
Charlie’s luck changed when an American movie producer discovered him and turned him to a movie star. The pay of $150 a week was life changing, although it’s still too little compared to the actors’ pay today. Charlie Chaplin wanted to distinguish himself from other movie stars by creating a signature look and a recurring character called The Tramp. Charlie worked incessantly by acting in 35 films in one year. By age 26, Charlie was renowned and one of the highest paid artists in the world as he signed a contract for $670,000 a year ($15.7 million today). The public was shocked hearing about the high pay, but they loved him.
Influence and Method
Charlie’s first influence was his mother who entertained him as a child by sitting at the window and mimicking the passers-by. Watching her, he learned to observe people and to express emotions with hands and face. He had spent years in music hall where he watched comedians. His study of pantomimes taught him the art of clowning. In addition, Charlie’s years at a film company taught him the concept of mixing pathos with slapstick. His style reflected both pity as well as boisterous actions like throwing pies in actors’ faces. Charlie’s early films didn’t have a script, which meant he worked off vague and limited directions. Later, Charlie worked in talking movies as well and continued to be a global figure.
Question
Based on paragraph 1, the reader can conclude that —
Responses
A Charlie Chaplin’s impressive pay made people respect comedyCharlie Chaplin’s impressive pay made people respect comedy
B because Charlie Chaplin studied in many fields, he made great comedybecause Charlie Chaplin studied in many fields, he made great comedy
C because of Charlie Chaplin’s numerous movies, comedy became betterbecause of Charlie Chaplin’s numerous movies, comedy became better
D before Charlie Chaplin’s work, comedy was not taken seriously
1 answer