One of the most iconic characters in the world of comedy today is Charlie Chaplin. A popular comedian of the 20th century era, Sir Charles “Charlie” Spencer Chaplin has become renowned not only by his comedic works, but also his pioneers in the work of film and his political views. His has contributed a great deal to the world of cinematography during the silent era.
Charlie Chaplin is credited for inventing the “Tramp” character, a usually homeless and poor persona who nonetheless possess positive qualities that become crucial throughout the course of the story. This character is evident in many films such as The Kid, Modern Times, The Gold Rush, and the like. This archetype persists in many modern movies such as the titular character of the Disney animated film Aladdin which shares many similar qualities with the Tramp. The character of the Tramp has a significant role since it shows that even the everyman, the character the Tramp supposedly represents, can be successful and be the hero of his or her story despite not having archetypal heroic qualities. This is an idea that resonates with the audience, which loves to see The persistence of the character even in modern movies is a proof that viewers still want to connect with the character in question, perhaps to give them hope It is also a testament on the agelessness of Charlie Chaplin’s works—they can be applied to any situation no matter the time and date.
Another thing that can be considered in Chaplin’s works is the political commentary underlying in some of his works, most notably in The Great Dictator, which poked fun at the infamous dictator Adolf Hitler. The film became controversial with the United States, who was at peace with German forces at the time and caused the revocation of Chaplin’s visa. This is similar to many films today—there are a number of films today which aims to make light of political issues that are otherwise unnoticed, and some of them portray these issues in a comic and ridiculous manner. Despite the humorous tone of these films, they can be considered significant because they aim to make the audience aware of some of the issues nowadays while entertaining them at the same time.
Lastly, some of Chaplin’s works could be taken as a reference to his life itself. This can be seen in the movie The Kid wherein Chaplin’s character brings up an abandoned baby—film enthusiasts think that it is a reflection of Chaplin’s hard life as a child. His parents were separated and his mother was sent into an asylum, leaving him and his brother to take care of themselves. Like in this film, there are many other films nowadays which draw inspiration from the lives of the creators themselves, which aim to show audiences how their lives were before. This can be a source of inspiration or another way to channel creativity by the artists—after all, some of the best inspirations of works of art came from the experiences of the creators themselves. It is like putting a personal touch on the works, which makes it relate to the audience even more.
All in all, Chaplin’s works have some aspects which draw some similarities from modern movies. This is proof that the issues and concepts that were prevalent in his works have some elements of applicability until today.
Work Cited
BIO. “Mini BIO – Charlie Chaplin”. “Mini BIO – Charlie Chaplin”. YouTube, 6 Sep. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ibx52DgoA.
