Charles Spencer Chaplin: The Story of a Genius. Interesting facts about Charles Chaplin
A vagabond and a knight, a clown and a sinner great artist Charles Chaplin for a long time he was silent in the cinema, communicating with the audience with body language. But when the cinema found sound, and the amusing comedian adored by the public was given the floor, he was able to speak only about what he believed in.
Today, April 16, the world of cinema celebrates its 125th birthday Charlie Chaplin... We will also celebrate, remembering why the audience loved this short man with a funny gait and "Peepers full of ink".
If you watch his short films in a row, you can see how the image Tramps acquires bulge and integrity. Since 1916, he has a vulnerable soul, he becomes sensitive and even sentimental. Laughing spectators, seeing a scene from the "Loan Shop" ( the main character "Tells" about their kids), suddenly cry, and Charlie understands: this is it! This image - a little ridiculous man with a big heart - existed up to "The Great Dictator", which came out in 1940.
When Chaplin he himself stood behind the camera, improvisations, on which silent films were built in order to save the production budget, came to an end. He elevated the development of the script, roles and gags into a cult, demanding the impossible from the actors - to play what he shows them. And he just showed: in front of everyone he played his role. Most of all he enjoyed working with baby Jackie Coogan. On the set of The Kid (1921), the most autobiographical of all pictures Charlie Chaplin, the boy amazed those around him with his ability to exactly repeat every movement of the director. The film became one of the most cult among the dumb, so touchingly told Chaplin friendship history Tramps and his foundling. The gags stayed in place, but there was an anguish. The scene of the separation of the baby from his guardian, even after almost a century, can be called the most heartbreaking in the history of cinema.
Charlie-screenwriter and Charlie- the director could chew on one detail for months, some insignificant episode, so that in the end this idea would look appropriate against the general background. He worked like a maniac, and perfectionism, multiplied by hard work and a gift from God, quickly made Chaplin millionaire. It's time to remember all the nightmarish stories about the childhood of this millionaire, but let's see what else the audience adored. Tramp.
Full-length movies Charlie Chaplin- are no longer comedies in pure form, and he himself gives the audience not only laughter and good mood... So, for example, "Big City Lights" is also a wonderful love letter... In a graceful story about how a lover Tramp trying to make money for an operation for a blind girl, Charlie he spoke about love so much and so unexpectedly well that the picture even today touches the living and looks in one breath.
But this was not enough for an accomplished artist. In his full-length films, which later became classics of world cinema, he began to raise very serious topics, to open social abscesses, to expose reality, dissecting it with the virtuoso ease of a magician-pathologist. In "New Times" (1936) Charlie Chaplin, using ingeniously staged tricks, denounced technical progress transforming people into a herd of sheep. It is noteworthy that he performed many of these tricks himself, including the one in which the feeding machine punches the main character in the face with one of the details - with this mechanism Charlie managed by myself. "New Times" became a real political manifesto. The film was a resounding success on both sides of the ocean, brought in colossal profits and spawned a host of imitations.
Perhaps the most relevant and topical today is "The Great Dictator" (1940). Chaplin could no longer stay away from the talkie and, despite fears of losing Tramp if he speaks, let him speak. Funny and scary "Great dictator", among other advantages, it has a unique property - it gives each viewer immunity against Nazism. Making an idiot Hinkel toss a bouncy ball in the form of the globe Chaplin reduced him to a harmless jester. “Dictators are funny. I want people to laugh at them ", - said Charlie, which throughout filming process well versed in politics people tugged at the sleeve and asked to think again.
Total Charlie Chaplin played in 86 films, of which most filmed on his own, and also wrote more than 80 scripts and composed about two dozen wonderful musical compositions to your films. In 1972 he received an honorary "Oscar" for his contribution to cinema, and in 1975 - the title of a knight.
Films Chaplin over time, they have not lost a drop of their charm and even today they are able to rivet the attention of the viewer with any cinematic taste. And if they were played on TV instead of commercials, our world would be completely different, and no one would dare to twirl it on their ass.
"A day without laughter is a lost day."
1. During McCarthyism, Chaplin was accused of being a communist and not telling anyone about it. Particularly active fighters tore off tiles with paintings and prints of Chaplin's feet and hands from the Walk of Fame. It was lost, so it was not possible to return it to its place.
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2. Chaplin, already being worldwide famous actor, took part in the competition for the best Charlie Chaplin lookalike and lost, taking only third place.
3. Chaplin's body was stolen from the grave. The kidnappers demanded a ransom from their relatives and threatened to destroy the prey if they did not get their way. 11 weeks later, the police caught them, the actor's body was returned, but to avoid a repetition of events, this time they did not cover the grave with earth, but filled it with cement.
4. Charlie Chaplin became the first actor in history to be featured on the cover of a magazine. On July 6, 1925, Time magazine did it.
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5. Charlie Chaplin never won an Oscar in the acting category. Nevertheless, he became the only person in history who was first awarded two Oscars for a common contribution to the development of cinema (usually this award is given to those who have already finished their careers), and then another one in the nomination “ The best music to the film ".
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6. Charlie Chaplin was a famous heartthrob. Several women sued him, demanding compensation for the maintenance of their common, not very legally born children. In 1940, actress Joan Barry filed a lawsuit, and despite the fact that Chaplin's paternity was not proven, the judge, tired of having to deal with Charlie's women several times a year, forced the actor to pay Miss Barry monthly alimony of $ 75 (a lot of money at that time) until this child comes of age. And Chaplin paid.
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7. The image of "The Tramp" Chaplin considered so successful that he used it in 70 films for 26 years. To all the attacks that he was unoriginal, Chaplin dismissed: "It is your claims that are unoriginal."
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8. In his autobiography, which Chaplin called simply "My Autobiography", the actor prescribed 12 truths, the knowledge of which will make you a happy person:
If you didn't laugh today, consider that the day is lost.
Everything in the world is impermanent - especially troubles.
Life seems tragic only if you look at it from too close a distance. Step back and enjoy.
We think too much and feel too little.
To learn how to really laugh, learn to play with what hurts you.
Don't get used to luxury. It is sad.
Failures mean absolutely nothing. You need to be a very brave person to fail miserably.
Only clowns are truly happy.
Beauty is something that doesn't need to be explained. It is always visible and so.
Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing in right time and right things into wrong.
Don't give in to despair. This is a drug that does the worst thing to a person - it makes a person indifferent.
Only a nutcase can survive in this crazy world. Feel free to yourself.
Charlie Chaplin, a great comedian who could make the whole world laugh to tears, was a completely non-comedic character in life. In Hollywood, the fame of a heartthrob and a ladies' man is firmly entrenched behind him. Indeed, in Chaplin's life there were countless women and several marriages, but he met his happiness only when he was 54 years old ...
From dirt to Kings
Charlie Chaplin's life story resembles a fairy tale: he escaped from terrible poverty and achieved worldwide recognition... True, unlike Cinderella, Chaplin did not have a fairy godmother, he had to achieve everything himself. Charlie was born in England to a variety show starlet and a mediocre entertainer. Mother, who lost her voice early, was forced to leave the theater and start making a living by sewing, his father left the family when little Charlie was one year old. Charlie's mother, as best she could, tried to provide for her two sons, she could not count on her father's help: a drunken drunkard could not even pay the alimony due. When Charlie was 12 years old, his mother became seriously ill, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. In order not to starve to death, Charlie and his older brother dropped out of school and went to work.
For all kinds of work, Chaplin did not undertake to somehow make ends meet: he sold newspapers, made toys, worked in a printing house, a glass-blowing workshop, a doctor's office. And all this time the boy dreamed of the theater. Once, plucking up the courage, Charlie turned to a theater agency and offered his candidacy for any role in any theater. And he got a place in a second-rate theater troupe, with which he traveled all over England.
For the first time, Charlie's comedic talent was noticed during a tour of America. Then the company "Keystone" invited him to appear in comedy films for one hundred and fifty dollars a week. For a beginner and no one famous actor it was a fantastic amount. Without delay, Chaplin agreed. Films with his participation had big success, but Chaplin was hard to find mutual language with the directors: he had his own vision of what to shoot and how to play. Charlie decided to make films according to his own scripts. And he made the right decision. The films created by Chaplin brought him millions in royalties and gave him the fame of the greatest comedian in the history of cinema.
Up to 16 and under ...
In HIS autobiography, the artist did not mention his first marriage. Nevertheless, the fact is obvious: Charlie Chaplin got married when he was 16 years old, and his bride was even less. The young parted very soon, and the only reminder of past love became their son Sydney. After his first unsuccessful marriage, Charlie avoided Serious relationships, preferring to them non-binding connections with girls of easy virtue.
In his memoirs, the actor wrote: “In 1914 I was barely twenty-five years old, I was in the prime of my youth, in love with my work, and not only because it brought me success. She had a special charm: the opportunity to meet all the famous movie stars ... And here it is amazing beautiful girl Peggy Peers, with a gracefully contoured face, a lovely white neck and a charming figure, made my heart flutter. As soon as we saw each other, we both ignited. The feeling was mutual, and my soul sang. Each of our meetings was full of declarations of love, and each of our meetings was full of struggle. Yes, Peggy loved me, but I couldn't get her. She was firm, and in the end I despaired and retreated. I had no intention of getting married then. I valued too much the freedom that promised me extraordinary adventures... No woman could compare with the vague image that lived in my soul. "
But this position of Chaplin did not stop women, he was young, rich, handsome. Naturally, many fought for his attention. One of the comedian's mistresses described him like this: "Perfectly built, always dressed with special scrupulousness, with snow-white teeth and ivory skin, he seemed so clean and sparkling, like a pearl just taken out of the ocean waters ..." And Charlie, in turn, he loved women and could not, and did not want to refuse, charming women: “Writing scripts, acting myself and directing films - this required incredible efforts, exhausting expenditure of nervous energy. I tried to make sure that the novels did not interfere with my work. And when passion nevertheless broke through obstacles, everything usually came out not, thank God - either too much or too little. But work has always been the most important thing for me. "
Chaplin's second marriage to the ballerina Mildred Harris became such a "shortfall". Charlie was 28, and Mildred was only ... 14 years old, she was pretty, but Chaplin seemed silly. Nevertheless, he began to look after the girl, and very soon they got married. Moreover, from the side of the comedian, there was no particular zeal in this marriage. Rather, Mildred's worried mother insisted on the ceremony. “The ceremony was terribly simple and businesslike ... My heart was vague. I felt that I was entangled in a web of stupid accidents, that all this was meaningless and unnecessary and our union was devoid of a solid foundation ... I was not in love, but now that I got married, I wanted me to love my wife and that our marriage would be happy. " Chaplin's hopes were not destined to come true. Mildred became pregnant and gave birth to a child who lived only three days. Chaplin became interested in creativity and very quickly lost interest in his young wife. In three years life together They've divorced.
After that, the actor lived as a bachelor for 4 years, until he met actress Lita Gray. They met on the set of another Chaplin film "Gold Rush". At that time, Lyta was ... 12 years old, and nothing but fatherly care was included in the comedian's initial plans. But Lita was growing before his eyes, getting prettier, and Chaplin could not restrain his growing, by no means paternal attraction. They got married when Chaplin was 35, and Lyta was 15 years old, while the girl was pregnant. They secretly got married in Mexico, fleeing the ubiquitous press, eager for scandals. For Chaplin, the glory of a lover of young girls was firmly entrenched.
Lita gave birth to the actor two sons, and two years later she filed for divorce. Her 42-page lawsuit was sold on the streets by enterprising newspapermen as a sensational editorial. Lita accused her husband of cruelty, immorality, infidelity: for several years of marriage he had five mistresses, he repeatedly threatened her with a loaded pistol and more than once offered to engage in group sex. The scandalous divorce proceedings cost Chaplin 1 million 125 thousand dollars in alimony, another million went to legal costs. The actor himself, unlike his wife, was not so verbose in the comments: “I will not touch on the details of this marriage - we have two grown sons whom I love very much. My wife and I lived for two years, but nothing happened; both were left with only a sense of bitterness. " After the divorce, Chaplin had a nervous breakdown, and he spent some time in a clinic for nervous patients.
Having recovered from stress, Charlie shoots another masterpiece - the film "Lights big city". With the picture he travels to Europe, and not only for fame and box office receipts: “I had a secret hope that I would meet in Europe a person who could somehow direct my life. But nothing came of it. Of all the women I happened to meet there, very few would be able to do this, and these few did not need me. "
Back in Hollywood, Chaplin continues his quest for happiness. Among the women he conquered are the famous actresses of that time Mabel Norman, Edna Pervyans, Paula Negri, Marion Davis, Peggy Hopkins Joyce. He is proud of his fame as a Don Juan and a heartthrob and even calls himself the "eighth wonder of the world", but at the same time he does not lose hope of meeting the only one with which he will remain forever. In the actress Pollette Godard, he saw such a woman, but their marriage did not last long. However, Pollet was really the only one. The only one with whom Chaplin kept friendly relations after divorce.
A ray of light in the dark kingdom
Troubled times have come in EUROPE. Nazi Germany attacked the USSR, Roosevelt delayed the opening of a second front, and Chaplin supported Russia. Perhaps it was after this that his troubles began. Hollywood began to regard the actor with great suspicion. Chaplin was recorded as a champion of communism. Among other things, Charlie met another woman, the relationship with whom only added fuel to the fire. Acquaintance with the aspiring actress Joan Berry did not bode well. Chaplin immediately liked the girl, they began to meet often, and he even signed a contract with Joan for a role in his new film. After that, the problems began: the girl seemed to be thrown off the chain. She showed up to Chaplin late at night, drunk, throwing tantrums, breaking windows, he called the police more than once to calm down the raging actress. Chaplin begged her to give up the role, but Joan was adamant. And at this difficult moment for the actor, a ray of sun dawned on the horizon. Chaplin was advised to try the role of Unu O'Neill, the daughter of a famous playwright.
Exhausted by Joan's antics, Charlie had no hope of success. However, as soon as he glanced at Una, Chaplin realized that this was fate: “She smiled, and my gloomy forebodings were immediately dispelled. I was captivated by her radiant charm and some special, inherent charm ... The more I got to know Unu, the more I was amazed by her sense of humor and tolerance - she always respected other people's opinions. I fell in love with her for this and for many other things. "
Oona reciprocated Chaplin's feelings. The actor was finally happy, but the idyll did not last long. Joan Berry announced that she was pregnant by a comedian. Press attacks on Chaplin resumed. The lovers decided to get married immediately, they were not embarrassed by the colossal age difference (Chaplin was 54 years old, Una was not even 18). They got married secretly. But Honeymoon spoiled the sudden trial: Joan demanded alimony payments. And, despite the fact that the DNA analysis established that Chaplin is not the father of the child, the court ordered him ... to pay the mother the necessary allowance!
Chaplin understood - Hollywood turned its back on him forever. He directed several more films, but the comedian did not care about their success. He made the decision to leave the United States. The motor ship had not yet had time to leave the port waters when a telegram was brought to Chaplin that from now on, access to the States was closed to him. Chaplin was not upset, events last days prepared him for this blow. Together with his young wife, the actor settled in Switzerland and never thought of returning to America again. He found what he was looking for. From now on, life centered around Una - his largest and, perhaps, only love... She bore him five daughters and three sons. Una adored her husband and considered their marriage to be perfect: "He helped me grow up, I helped him stay young." The great comedian died at the age of 88, his faithful wife survived Chaplin by 14 years ...
We continue to talk about cinema. Start here ""
Today we are discussing Charlie Chaplin's film "City Lights", 1931
Who can guess what is in the picture and what does this subject have to do with Charlie Chaplin?
This is a slapstick - a slapstick to simulate the sound of a slap in the face (from English words slap "slap" + stick "bar, stick"). It was first used in Italian comedy del arte, and later the term and the technique itself, passed into the cinema. Charlie Chaplin started out as the King of slapsticks - films with fights, falls, douches and bulging eyes. If interested, see how it was monstrously.
But Chaplin became great because he was able to go beyond his genre. This is a great example of an emerging filmmaker. Almost as bright as Nikita Mikhalkov is a great example of a degrading director. Chaplin added sadness, compassion, humanity and hope to the classic comedy. The result is a funny melodrama.
By the way, one of the clearest proofs of moral progress is also the change in the norms of the funny that has occurred over the past hundred years. Today, almost no one laughs at an old woman who has slipped or at a cake thrown to a person's face. And in another hundred years, people will no longer understand the delights of boxing or the game. Angry Birds- wait, you mean you are smart cultured people can they come to watch how one person hits another in the face with all his might and applaud it? And jump up with delight when the beaten loses consciousness and falls to the floor? Or that children can take a warm living creature - a small bird and smash it against the wall in order to bring down the house in which the green pig lives? And they will rejoice at this double murder ??? Come on, I would never believe in such cruelty of people. And it will be so. I promise you. Remember my words in a hundred years.
I don't really like the translation of the title as “City Lights”. I would replace the word “lights” with “light”. The most accurate poster is the third. She conveys the mood. Perfect ideal, for the sake of which a person does the impossible. Chaplin filmed this film during the Great Depression. This film returned Hope to desperate people.
By the way, Chaplin himself managed to sell all his shares in 1928 before the Great Depression, based on data on unemployment.
Kurt Vonnegut had a great idea - to portray the plot of the film graphically. It becomes obvious that the structure of the film "Pretty Woman" is no different from "Cinderella", and 80% of all American cinema is described simple schedule"A man in a complete ass." Everything starts well, then everything gets very bad, and then there will definitely be a happy ending. Vladimir Propp would be happy.
Using this technique, the drama of Big City Lights can be graphically depicted as a sinusoid. The amplitude of which is increasing all the time. Small troubles alternate with small joys, then troubles increase - beatings, prison, but joys also reach their maximum - large sum money, recognition of a savior in a vagrant, catharsis. The film ends at the maximum possible, so as not to go into negative territory again. None of the viewers would have believed in the option “And they lived happily ever after and died on the same day”.
The entire plot of the film rests on a mistake - mistaking one person for another. Chaplin decides to squeeze the maximum out of this technique. Look at how many situations there are in the film when one object is mistaken for another on the basis of its external resemblance.
Confetti is like spaghetti and a piece of cheese is like soap. It's so funny to eat up soap and let bubble... Chaplin's hero takes the bald head for dessert, and the Heroine confuses one thread with another and unwinds a vest instead of yarn. And then Chaplin himself will be mistaken for a robber.
Have you noticed that most of the gags in the film are repeated twice? Twice the Tramp fits the sword of the hero of the monument "Peace and Prosperity" with his torn trousers. Twice they fall into the water. The joke with an unlit cigar is repeated twice, and several times Chaplin hides behind the referee's back. Interestingly, Chaplin's favorite sport was boxing, and his favorite dance was tango. And in this film, he crossed the fight in the ring with tango. Why Chaplin repeats his jokes, I don't know. The timing of the footage exceeded the timing of the film by 150 times.
The musical theme of the film is a song by the famous Spanish composer and pianist Jose Padilla Sanchez “ La Violetera"(Flower girl). In 1934, Chaplin would lose his trial in Paris and pay a forfeit for using this melody without paying for it. And the melody is beautiful. She was later used in the films All Night Long (1981) with Barbra Streisand, The Smell of a Woman (1992) with Al Pacino and In the Mood for Love (2000) by Wong Karwai
The film was shot intermittently for three years and its budget exceeded $ 1,500,000. Chaplin was very worried before the film was launched - at that time a talkie had already appeared and the silent comedy looked a little archaic. He organized a private anonymous screening - the audience met the film ambiguously. Then Chaplin spent a lot of money - $ 60,000 on advertising the film, and invited Einstein himself to the premiere. This time, the audience was delighted. The film grossed $ 5,000,000. Bernard Shaw called Chaplin "the only genius who left the film industry." Today, the picture takes first place in the list of the best 10 romantic comedies according to the American Film Institute.
The image of a little tramp (Trump) - here a completely unexpected witty pun with a president named Trump suggests itself, but it will not be - later used by dozens of artists - from Raj Kapoor and Karandash to Alexander Kalyagin and Woody Allen. Chaplin himself considered his "Tramp" so successful that he used it in 70 films for 26 years. To all comments that he was unoriginal, Chaplin replied: "It is your claims that are unoriginal." Interestingly, Charlie Chaplin never won an Oscar in the acting category. But he will receive an Oscar for invaluable contribution that in this century cinema has become an art "
In his autobiography, Chaplin formulated 12 truths, the knowledge of which will make you a happy person:
If you didn't laugh today, consider that the day is lost.
Everything in the world is impermanent - especially troubles.
Life seems tragic only if you look at it from too close a distance. Step back and enjoy.
We think too much and feel too little.
To learn how to really laugh, learn to play with what hurts you.
Don't get used to luxury. It is sad.
Failures mean absolutely nothing. You need to be a very brave person to fail miserably.
Only clowns are truly happy.
Beauty is something that doesn't need to be explained. It is always visible and so.
Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing at the right time and the right thing at the wrong time.
Don't give in to despair. This is a drug that does the worst thing to a person - it makes a person indifferent.
Only a nutcase can survive in this crazy world. Feel free to yourself.
Did you like Big City Lights and what do you think of it?
When I fell in love with myself, I realized that longing and suffering are only warning signals that I am living against my own. own nature... Today I know that it is Honesty.
When I fell in love with myself, I realized how much it is possible to offend a person by imposing on him the fulfillment of my desires, realizing that it is not yet time for this and the person is not ready for this, even if this person is myself. Today I call it Respect.
When I fell in love with myself, I stopped wanting another life, and could see that everything that surrounds me invites me to growth. Today I call it Maturity.
When I fell in love with myself, I realized that under any circumstances I am in the right place v the right time and everything happens in the right moment... I can always be calm. Now I call it Confidence.
When I fell in love with myself, I stopped wasting my time and stopped dreaming about future big projects. Today I do what gives me joy, what I love to do, what pleases my heart, and I do it in my own rhythm. Today I call it Simplicity.
When I fell in love with myself, I freed myself from everything that harms my health - food, people, things, situations. Everything that leads me astray. Today I call it Self-Love.
As I began to love myself, I stopped trying to be always right, and since then I’m less likely to be wrong. Today I realized that this is Modesty.
When I began to love myself, I stopped living in the past and worrying about the future. Today I live in the day in which everything happens. I call it Satisfaction.
As I began to love myself, I realized that my mind can disturb me and even make me sick. But when I was able to connect him to my heart, he immediately became my valuable ally. Today I call this connection Wisdom of the Heart.
We no longer need to be afraid of arguments, clashes or any problems with ourselves and others. Even stars collide, and new worlds are born from their collisions. Today I know that this is Life. The biggest mistake people make in life is when they don't try to make a living with what they like best.
(Charlie Chaplin's 70th birthday speech)
11 weeks after Charlie Chaplin's funeral, it became known that the coffin with the body of an outstanding comedian had been kidnapped. It soon became clear that the remains of the silent movie star were stolen for ransom. The unknown person demanded 480 thousand dollars from the widow of the actor by phone. To the surprise of the robbers, Oona Chaplin flatly refused to pay, saying: “My husband lives in heaven and in my heart. And what has fallen into your hands is not interesting to me. "
Two
This girl won the hearts of many men. A breathtaking cocktail of beauty, gentle charm, excellent education, acting talent threw the best representatives at her feet American culture last century.
Una O'Neill was born on May 13, 1926 on Bermuda... Her mother Agnes Boulton is a famous journalist, her father is the brilliant American playwright Eugene O'Neill. He got four Pulitzer and one Nobel Prize, but at the same time led a very hectic life. He drank so much that he always balanced on the brink of alcoholism, got married and divorced many times. Unsurprisingly, after a few years, Eugene left his family. Agnes made every effort so that the departure of her father did not become a tragedy for her daughter. The grown-up Una studied at a prestigious school, where she received an excellent education and made influential friends, among whom were the later famous designer Gloria Vanderbilt and actress Carol Grace. The mother's efforts bore fruit: Una grew up independent and completely independent in everything that related to her personal life and career.
Unlike Oona O'Neill's carefree childhood, Charlie Chaplin's childhood can be called tragic.
His mother Hannah Hill was a variety theater actress. Father Charles Sr.was pretty talented actor and the owner of a magnificent baritone. But he drank too much, and his career did not work out. Hannah Hill soon broke up with him. Together with his stepbrother Sydney and his mother, Charlie Jr. lived in an attic in one of the mansions of London's Kensington Road.
These years Charlie Chaplin recalled as the saddest in his life: “My mother more and more often ended up in a psychiatric hospital, my brother and I lived: either in a workhouse, or in my father's family, or in an orphanage. I managed to work in a stationery store, in a printing house, I was a glassblower, a wood-cutter, but I always dreamed of becoming an actor. "
From the age of fifteen, Charlie began to apply to theater agencies. When he was invited to the Carnot troupe, the young man's delight knew no bounds: "I became an actor!" Soon he became famous throughout the country for his sparkling sketches and funny improvisations, for which the audience simply adored him. But in England, Charlie Chaplin was not liked by critics and theatrical figures... Then Chaplin went to conquer America. Here, thanks to the cinema, the talent of the brilliant comedian almost instantly conquered the Americans, and then the whole world. And only Charlie Chaplin's personal life did not bring him satisfaction.
Before meeting Una O'Neal, he was in love many times and married three times. The first wife was seventeen-year-old Mildred. Charlie called her too frivolous for a serious marriage. The next marriage to sixteen-year-old Cast Gray was even shorter, although the couple had two children. Charlie Chaplin's third darling - Paulette Goddard - also did not bring him happiness, despite the fact that she was twenty years younger than him.
Love at first sight
When she first met Charlie Chaplin, O'Neill did not recognize him. However, few people recognized the cinematic comedian in life, because in reality he did not look like a cinematic himself. For example, everyone believed that his eyes were almost black. And in life, Charlie Chaplin's eyes were distinguished by a heavenly blue. This was the first trait that bribed young Una.
Immediately after their meeting, she called her friend in delight: “I just saw Charlie Chaplin. He has extraordinary blue eyes! "
Una and Charlie met to discuss the role of the girl in the film that Charlie Chaplin was going to shoot based on the play "Ghost and Reality." The contract was signed and the rapprochement began. He was captivated by the discrepancy between the youth and the mature character of the girl. “The more I got to know Una, the more I liked her sense of tolerance, humor, respect for other people's opinions.
I was afraid of our huge age difference, but Una knew what she wanted and how we should be. Therefore, we decided to get married immediately after the end of the filming of the film "Ghost and Reality" - wrote Charlie Chaplin.
Testing
Difficulties began, as soon as the lovers announced their engagement. The first to announce his unwillingness to give his daughter into the hands of a man one year older than him was Una's father, Eugene O'Neill.
But in response, he heard a firm "no", and after that he stopped any relationship with his daughter for many years.
And Charlie was haunted by his former women. The actress Joan Berry, with whom Chaplin had an affair before the appearance of Una, appeared again. The girl was pregnant, but Chaplin did not want to acknowledge his paternity. Berry went to court, and soon the actor received a paternity suit.
But all this only spurred on a couple. They chose a quiet town near Santa Barbara and went to a city official for permission. When Una and Chaplin left the town hall, reporters drove into the courtyard, and a real chase began! “We rushed through the quiet streets of Santa Barbara, turned into lanes, squealing brakes, the car sometimes skidded, but we still managed to break away from the chase, we left for the suburbs and there quietly registered our marriage,” - recalled Charlie Chaplin.
The trial took place. And although Chaplin faced 20 years in prison, he was acquitted on all counts. Una, who had been expecting their first child by this time, fainted upon learning of this.
Life has just begun
With his young and beloved wife, Charlie Chaplin again felt a taste for life. “Charlie helped me grow up, and I helped him stay young,” Una admitted.
And it really was. Soon, Una began to prepare for childbirth. And immediately after the birth of her daughter Geraldine, she confessed to her husband that she did not want to be an actress, but was going to devote herself entirely to her family. “I was very happy. Finally there was by my side real wife, and not a woman who wanted to make a career, - wrote Chaplin. -
True, I was sure that in the person of Una, the cinema had lost a great comedic actress with an excellent, subtle sense of humor. But I didn't want to share it with anyone. "
Get out of America
When Chaplin began filming The Great Dictator, film officials warned him of potential trouble. Those Americans who supported Germany's war against Russia began to threaten Chaplin.
But he stubbornly continued to work on the film, intending to make fun of Hitler in the eyes of the whole world: “It was wild to fight back fascism ”.
As soon as America entered the war, Charlie began to speak ardently at rallies in support of the allies. And the American authorities staged a real "witch hunt", accusing the actor of sympathy for communism: they say, Chaplin does not want to accept American citizenship.
A demonstration took place in front of the cinema where the film "Monsieur Virdou" was shown. People shouted: “Chaplin is a henchman of the Reds! Get out of America! "
The Chaplin family remained in America until the famous movie "Ramp Lights" was finished. After its release on screens around the world, they again started talking about the great talent of Charlie Chaplin. And only America was silent, the persecution continued. Then Charlie and Una decided to leave for Europe. But even the process of issuing travel documents was full of humiliation: they were presented with claims for non-existent tax debts.
Family happiness
While on the ship, Charlie Chaplin received a radiogram stating that he was banned from entering the United States until he answered the accusations of the emigration commission. After reading the radiogram, Chaplin decided to put an end to his relationship with America, where he lived for forty years. In support of her husband, Oona Chaplin renounced her American citizenship.
Arriving in Europe, the Chaplins settled in Switzerland in the town of Vevey. They bought a house with thirty-seven acres and a garden with fruit trees. Una managed the household herself. And only two nannies helped her in raising children. She arranged their life in such a way that Charlie could freely engage in creativity.
He continued to write screenplays and compose film scores.
The Chaplins had four more children: daughters Jane and Annette Emily, sons Eugene and Christopher, who was born when Charlie Chaplin was 72 years old.
Chaplin wrote about how happy he is in his family life: "When I return home and hear the noisy fuss of children, the crying of a baby, laughter and running around of the elders, the exhorting voice of my wife, then I say to myself: thank God, I'm at home again ..."
Charlie Chaplin died at the age of 88.
His beloved wife Una remained with him until the end of his days.
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