Charlie Chaplin

Yesterday a film screening and a meeting following it was conducted as a part of Mayday celebration. A few friends participated in this meet. All felt very happy because the film selected for the screening was Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Modern times’!

I think that it is most suitable film for this occasion of speaking about the solidarity of labour throughout the world.

Usually the films of Charlie Chaplin are considered as comedy films. And of course, they are respected by all the children in the world as children’s films. But are they mere children’s films?

Chaplin is the most popular comedy artist in the world, even after his demise. His  films are full of slapstick comedy, and he is a versatile actor with comical sense. But as a creator, he was very serious in his works. He told only the sorrows, pain and desperate states of common men in his creations.  To tell these things effectively, he used the comical way to reach one and all.

Really he create comedy, but he was not a comedian!

He used his body to tell everything in a unique style. That make him a unique personality and that is well received by the children throughout the world. The children of one time are growing up to men in the following years. And they continue to love Chaplin as in their childhood. So, Chaplin becomes the favourit person of all ages.

In the film field Charlie Chaplin, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan had a common factor in their films. Any part of their films, even for single minute, can be enjoyed anytime and can feel what we expect from these personalities.

Among them, Chaplin is different as he tell social messages to the audience of the total world. His films are really dealing the sufferings of the poor and middle class men. He was called as a communist in his lifetime. But, as a creator he was not constrained to stick on a single point of view.

He criticize the flaws of communist perceptions also. The ‘Modern Times’ is a very good example of that. As usual he expose the pains and sufferings of poor in this film along with a satire view on the capitalism as well as communism.

Another uniqueness of Chaplin is his positive approach. Even he told the losses and defeats of poor in his films, no film will be ended as negative note. He used to end the films with a hope of future.

In every scene his body language and gestures will boost the positive approach. Playing with the wild animals in the circus(City Lights), singing in the restaurant (Modern Times) can be taken as  the example of his positive approach. I think this character is inherent in his body itself.

Many creators copied his scenes separately and films as a whole many times for their creations in history. In our nation also many films were made with the inspiration taken from the films of Chaplin.

Really copying his films and making a good film that can be compared to the original is also a challenge for the new creators.   

Remembering Chaplin in this Mayday is the real tribute to his legacy.