Author(s): Paul Duncan

Film

Happy birthday, dear Tramp! Celebrating Chaplin's life and work as his alter-ego turns 100George Bernard Shaw called him "The only genius to come out of the movie industry." From Alaska to Zimbabwe, his "Tramp" is still the most recognized silhouette in the world 100 years after its creation. He owns the bowler hat and toothbrush moustache combo. He is, of course, the incomparable Charlie Chaplin, and this is the ultimate book on his life and work. Within a year of arriving in Hollywood in 1914, British-born Chaplin, playing the Tramp, had become the slapstick king of America. By the end of his second year on the silver screen, Chaplin's fame had spread worldwide—he was the first international film star—resulting in a million dollar contract that made him one of the richest men in the world. With his own studio and his stock company of close collaborators, Chaplin began making his greatest movies: The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), The Circus (1928), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940)—an unassailable collection of work that has enshrined him in the collective consciousness of world culture. Chaplin was reluctant to talk about his working methods, perhaps because he worked instinctually rather than methodically.For the first time, using the complete resources of Chaplin's vast archives, this book follows the making of every one of Chaplin's films. From the impromptu spontaneity of his early shorts, many filmed in a day, to the meticulous retakes and reworking of scenes and gags in his classic movies, we can see how Chaplin takes the caricature figure of the Tramp and turns him into a living character. Becoming the most famous man in the world meant that Chaplin lived life in the spotlight. His meetings with great figures like Albert Einstein, Gandhi, and Henry Ford, as well as his personal life and political statements, were reported worldwide. Yet Chaplin's philosophy, which he animated through his films, remained consistent throughout his life and career. The Tramp is the ultimate underdog, the working man, the individual trying to survive economic depression, two World Wars, and the Cold War. Whatever crises life threw at him, the Tramp shrugged it off, straightened his shoulders, and walked off into a brighter future. Celebrating 100 years of "the Tramp," the most famous character in cinema historyMade with unrestricted access to the Chaplin archives, this XL tome recounts his entire life history in words and picturesAmong the 1,200 images are many previously unseen stills, on-set photos, memos, documents, storyboards, posters, and designs, plus scripts and images for unmade filmsIncludes Chaplin's personal letters to his brother Sydney at key moments in his lifeLike the best-selling The James Bond Archives, the text is an oral history, told from the point of view of Chaplin himself, drawing upon his extensive writings, many of which have never been reprinted before. This is supplemented by interviews with some of his closest collaborators.Draws upon over 150 books of press clippings in Chaplin's archives, which range from his early days in music halls to his deathIncludes Chaplin's short films, from Making a Living (1914) to The Pilgrim (1923), as well as all of his feature-length movies, from The Kid (1921) to A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)The first printing of the book includes a film strip from the classic City Lights (1931) cut from a print in Chaplin's archivesSketches from Chaplin's original storyboard of The Great Dictator