Charlie Chaplin

In 1911 a penniless young man left England for America. His future was uncertain, but he did not believe it could be worse than his past. He had grown up among the poor in London's East End and experienced great poverty. His mother's life had been on the stage and lived in the hope that they would one day be "stars". Her son dreamed that he could succeed where she had failed.

By 1914 his dream had come true. His name, Charlie, was widely talked about in America. He was admired as the king of silent films. How did he reach the top of the film world and make a huge success in such a short time? It was not at one single stroke. His early efforts to copy other famous stars at that time were a failure. However, he gradually began to develop the character of a tramp, which is always connected with his name.

He often borrowed ideas and even "stole" most of his clothes from others, but he developed his own way to go with them. He used a black hat to pass secret messages, and his walking stick allowed him to make fun of his enemies or to punish them from a distance. He got the idea for his famous walk from a London driver who had a wound in his foot. Charlie, the tramp, looked very funny but was kind in nature; he was poor but dreamed of being rich; he was ugly but wanted to be handsome; he always lost his heart to girls, but for some reasons the girls had to leave him. The audience would be moved by this. But before they had time to reach for their handkerchiefs Charlie's feet would get in the way and they would laugh instead.

In 1919 he formed his own film company and his films began to be more serious. He wanted to write about his own experiences and show how cruel life was. The Kids was a mirror of his own fears and sufferings when he was separated from his mother. In City Lights he described the courage and strength of the poor in their struggles during the Great Depression of the 1930's. Modern Times attacked the cruel factory life in capitalist countries.

Because of his different points of view in politics Chaplin was forced by the US government to settle down in Switzerland in 1952. It was not until 1972 that he was welcomed back to receive an award—the award of an Oscar.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where had Charlie Chaplin grown up?
2. Was he rather poor when he was young?
3. What was Charlie Chaplin's dream?
4. When did he come back to USA?
5. Why did he settle down in Switzerland in 1952?

(Keys.)