FOR MOST PEOPLE, Charlie Chaplin is the comedian who played the Little Tramp in classic silent films such as The Kid and The Gold Rush. With his derby hat, moustache and cane, he's a figure of fun that children still find amusing. But British-born Chaplin (1889-1977) is actually a key figure in the history of cinema.
Chaplin was one of the first filmmakers to turn movie-making into a form of personal expression. Apart from acting, he wrote, directed, edited, produced, and scored many of his films.
His mimetic performance style brought a subtle grace to the screen, while his solid characters gave comedy films a new dramatic dimension.
Chaplin was also one of the first independent filmmakers, breaking with the studios in 1919 to form United Artists with actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks and director D.W. Griffith.
Modern Times, which was released in 1936, was Chaplin's last silent film - indeed, it was the last great silent film to be made in America. Like so many of Chaplin's films, it's a mixture of personal pathos and social commentary. But Chaplin brought social commentary more to the fore than ever in Modern Times. This step led to as much criticism as praise, and saw him branded a dangerous leftist in some countries.
Modern Times features the last appearance of Chaplin's Little Tramp. In a harder hitting story than usual, the Tramp has to cope with the physical and emotional deprivations of America's Great Depression. Chaplin uses the Little Tramp to comment on all manner of social concerns: industrialisation, factory mechanisation, crime, poverty, unemployment, strikes and alcoholism.