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Charlie Chaplin, or How I Beat Salon to the Punch

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In March, I wrote about the Underappreciation of Chaplin & Buster Keaton.

Salon.com was not too far behind.

In his article, “The Circus”: Chaplin’s little-known masterpiece, Andrew O’Hehir discusses the very same thing.

Chaplin is universally recognized as a monumental figure in film history, not to mention the cultural history of the 20th century, so it seems silly to speak of his being underappreciated. But such, I believe, is the case. Like every truly great artist of an earlier era, Chaplin has to be periodically rediscovered in order for people to see past ingrained stereotypes and received wisdom.

His films are routinely described as full of pathos and sentimentality, in a manner that carries more than a hint of disapproval, as if it were somehow unfortunate that such a talented physical comedian and pioneering writer-director had devoted himself to pleasing a mass audience, and telling stories whose keynotes were gentleness, selflessness and the value of community in the face of adversity. I can understand why critics and historians often feel passionate about Harold Lloyd, whose magnificent physical stunts more clearly point the way toward contemporary action-comedy, and Buster Keaton, the stone-faced existentialist so undervalued in his day. They were seminal comic geniuses, without a doubt. But there is only one Chaplin.

Before I go on to quote the rest of the article, allow me to join him in this plea.

What I’m trying to say is that I get it: You think you don’t want to see a Chaplin movie. You imagine it’ll be insipid, boring and somehow culturally embarrassing. Trust me on this: Just sit down and watch “The Circus”.

In fact, don’t watch The Circus. Watch any of his films.

If you’re in the US and hold a Netflix account, you can find a huge cross-section of Chaplin’s work here.

If you’re in the UK, LoveFilm also has an impressive collection.

Alternatively, if you’re a penniless tramp like me, let’s hang out and we’ll watch the bargain bin DVD’s I’ve acquired.

Let the Chaplin love-in begin!

What’s your favourite Charlie Chaplin film?

Recommended: Rich Hall’s ‘The Dirty South’

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Rich Hall sets his keen eye and acerbic wit on his homeland once again as he sifts truth from fiction in Hollywood’s version of the southern states of the USA. Using specially shot interviews and featuring archive footage from classic movies such as Gone With The Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire and Deliverance, Rich discovers a South that is about so much more than just rednecks, racism and hillbillies.

A documentary of dissertation standards is a rare find, but Rich Hall pulls it off with aplomb. In ‘The Dirty South’, Hall dissects Hollywood’s attempts and failure to portray the American South as the cultured, warm, and hospitable place where he grew up. Thankfully, he keeps such clichéd rhetoric to a minimum. Jaded by Hollywood’s depictions of the South as backward and unsophisticated, he parleys his contempt for the movie machine, demonstrating the rich history and growth of the South as a culture from renderings of the civil war to the Memphis music scene, incestuous pulp novels as risqué features, and the great Southern horror flick, Deliverance.

Hall’s dry wit and embittered diatribes are at once informative and hilarious. Expertly intercut with archive footage, original trailers, and interviews, Rich Hall’s Dirty South is raw, filthier than promised, and utterly engaging.

You still have a few days to watch Rich Hall’s ‘The Dirty South’ on BBC iPlayer or catch a repeat on BBC4, details of which can be found here.

Rich Hall’s ‘How the West Was Lost’ documentary is also being broadcast over the next week on BBC4. Click here for details.

A Taster:

Book Review: Kiss Kiss by Roald Dahl

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Roald Dahl is, needless to say, best known as the author of books for children. This collection of short stories is easy on the whizzpopping, frumpets, and strawbunkies, but his subtly sinister grown-up world is equally enthralling.

The beauty of Dahl’s short stories is his innate talent for saying the most when he says nothing at all. Massive chunks of story line are told through every ellipsis, of which there are many. Rather than telling you exactly what is happening, Dahl creates the setting, throws in a few hints about his characters, and leaves you to deduce the rest.

Another aspect that makes these stories so enjoyable is his ability to impart a sense of impending doom for every character. They may have sinned, have misbehaved, but when their comeuppance comes a-calling, we cringe and gasp as they are served their just desserts.

Kiss Kiss also features the short story The Champion of the World, a precursor to his novel Danny, the Champion of the World. Re-reading the story with an adult edge, discovering where those notions and words were conceived, was like reading Danny for the first time all over again.

Though it is not part of this collection, you can read Dahl’s short story The Man From the South here. It’s a personal favourite and if you’ve seen Tarantino’s section of Four Rooms, you may well recognise it.

Book #24: ★★★★★