Was Charlie Chaplin a Significant Briton?

1. Was Charlie Chaplin a Significant Briton? Learning objectives: - To understand why Chaplin was important for film. - To identify other reasons why Chaplin is historically significant.

2. What do we already know about Charlie Chaplin?

3. Q) In 1915 who entered a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest and lost? • 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?

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.

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

6. Charlie Chaplin - The Circus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UZHYfqOY0Q&feature=related

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.

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

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?

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

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?

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.

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.

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 Awards. 

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.”

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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!