Charlie Chaplin - The Genius

First of all, the idea behind this article is not to talk about the work done by the little master. As a matter of fact, I found an article in a local newspaper here in the UK which had a column allotted for the Great Dictator. After reading the column, I just had to recollect the movies, silent movies and stage dramas of Chaplin and I wanted to give a short jist about the genius with some good pictures (credited to the actual source sites).

More than 70 years since he last appeared on the screen, Charles Chaplin's Little Tramp remains a supreme icon not just of the movies but of the 20th century - still he is recognized and loved every part of the world. If there can be an explanation for his success, it's his capability to transmuting the anxieties and concerns of human life into comedy. Certainly, it would have had some reflections of his personal life experiences.

Chaplin was an orphan at the age of 3 when his parents were separated and he indeed grew up in extreme poverty. But at the age of 10, he became a professional performer. His interest was not only as an artist, but he soon started showing interest in every department in drama. For every Kamal hassan, there will be a K. Balachandar. Likewise for Chaplin, he met Mack Sennett, the famous Keystone studios which was the major production house during early 90s. It was him, how implanted the idea into Chaplin's mind that he must direct himself which will give him freedom to perform and think and innovate.



Chaplin mastered the craft of film with phenomenal speed, and after the first three months in pictures was to direct all his own films. The first four years in pictures saw him develop from the carefree knockabout of the keystone comedies, to introduce irony and sentiment, and to progress to the Mutual masterpieces that included The Pawnshop (1916), Easy Street (1917) and The Immigrant (1917). It was First National who gave the breakthrough for Chaplin and came Shoulder Arms (1918) where he transmuted the horrors of the First World War into comedy.

The time of the giants is the year 1919 where the four the giants of the Hollywood at that time formed something called United Artists. For those who are not aware about the giants, they are Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Griffith. Chaplin's first release through the company was 'A Woman of Paris (1921), a dramatic film designed to start Edna Purviance.


Those who had watched his comical drama in many television channels must have noticed the same heroine in almost all his movies/dramas. Yes, Edna Purviance, the most faithful lady whom Chaplin trusts a lot and there were some rumors as well involving them.

Arrival of the talking pictures, the year 1927. It was a big challenge to Chaplin than to most other directors. His wordless pantomime had won a universal audience, which would inevitably shrink if he now spoke in English. Chaplin's response was to continue making silent films. It was when 'City Lights' (1931) and Modern Times (1936) with the sound track used only for the sound effects and musical work came. In fact, the little master who had touched every department in film making had revealed his new avatar in musical department when he composed musical score for the movie 'Modern Times'.



In 'Modern Times', Chaplin brought the comic weapon to bear on burning issues of the day at that time particularly the industrialization and the confrontation. Then comes my favorite of them all 'The Great Dictator' where his targets were fascism and its leaders. In fact, he got some complaints from the critics that the comic sense was exceeding the boundary.



 He continued with 'Monsieur Verdoux' and 'Limelight' for The United Artists and did a few other movies for some British Production pictures and it was the Christmas day 1991 when our genius left the world leaving us with no such icon for his replacement. PERIOD.

Inglorious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino is the best of them all

To start with, I am not a great fan of Tarantino's work. Of course his Pulp Fiction remains to be in my list of top 100 movies of all time, but with Inglourious Basterds, he defintely proved that he has not lost his bloody brilliant screenplay. Here goes the story as IMDb says so, In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers. If one would want to know details about World War II, please visit World War II. But that doesn't act as a pre requiste to understand the movie. The movie is in deed deals about WWII, but since this was made by Tarantino, one who mastered in non linear play, you don't see any visuals of a war battle except a few which is shown in a different way in the movie than it's actual content. But yes, this movie is highly fictious that WWII which is considered as one of the tragic event is conveyed probably in a more funnier way and more interesting manner.

Who is the best basterd? We have a huge list of top class actors in the movie from Brad Pitt to Diane Kruger to August Diehl. But there is one man who steals the show. Col. Hans Landa, performed by Chris Waltz literally steals the show with his witty nature and splendid performance. This is probably a clever and smart casting by Tarantino to pick a german speaking actor to play this role. This is in fact the first American movie for Mr. Waltz. The way he builds the anxiety towards the end of the scene is something remarkable. He just blew me in the very beginning of the movie in the chapter 'Once upon a time in Nazi-Occupied France'. In fact in most of the scenes in the movie, which is comprised of chapters, the chapter starts in a slow pace with an ordinary conversation and slowly it picks the pace and finally it ends with bang bang bang!!!

Trivia : Guess who was supposed to do this role? It's our chocolate boy DiCaprio supposed to play this role but later QT decided to stick to the tag that he wants a german speaking actor to play this role and The Jew Hunter just did a cake walk.

The first chapter gives us a lot of symbolism and some director's trademark sequences. Director gives us a realistic feel by allowing the English to speak English, Germans to speak German and French to speak French. Addition to that, when playing the subtitle in English while the characters converse in foreign language, you could notice a few words abdruptly translated in their native language. For instance, you can see 'Oui' meaning 'Yes' appearing as 'Yes' (translated term in English) in a few places and wanted appearing as 'Oui' in French-English in some places. Likewise, you could notice the same in other words in other chapters as well. As the conversation starts, Landa greets and treats the French family in a polite manner and opens a room to the family to speak about himself where he is of a character who wants to know what people speak about him. This is evident as he asks LaPadite to tell him about the rumours that he heard. As the conversation gets deeper, you can notice Landa once again asking for milk and once again greets his family and their cows in French. There is actually a different notation conveyed there. 'A votre famile et a voas vaches je dis Bravo' means he thanks the ladies in the family and the cows for the milk. 'Vache' in french means cows. 'Vache' also means Vagina. Hope you got what Landa wishes to convey to LaPadite. He somehow threatens politely to make LaPadite admit that he is hiding the Jews.

Now comes Aldo, the Basterds. Their clean aim to not just killing Nazis, but leaving a fear to the world that there is a group exists which brutally kills Nazis. This is clearly shown in the way they kill each and every Nazis that appear before them. And the scene where the Basterds teases the Nazis is one of the top notch funniest scene in the movie. The way Aldo introduces his men about their bravery and why were they part of the Basterds was conveyed in one of the most funniest manner. Special mention to Hugo Stiglitz. Not to forgot Donny boy who breaks the skull with his baseball tushy. We just missed his introduction scene like who Hugo had!

We have Shosanna, the girl who escaped from chapter 1 comes again in Chapter 3 after 4 years. Now she owns a cinema and changed her name. Mr Zoller, the german soldier who is known for his bravery in the recent war where he killed more than 300 enemies single handedly approaches Shosanna for a different reason. But this suspense was maintained in the initial scenes between the two. Our Jew Hunter doesn't miss Shosanna. He comes again as a security officer appointed for the premiere. We have the director's trademark here as well. Landa orders for a milk and that makes Shosanna to hiccup. He keeps increasing the anxiety when he asks Shosanna that he wanted to ask something to her! But alas, he says he forgot may be that's not important! Shosanna sighs with a big relief! This shows how fearful the Jew Hunter is!!!

Ah, I am getting more deeper into the chapters, let me just try to input a few thoughts and nuances alone. Let's get inside the premiere of 'Nation's pride', Shosanna's move, Aldo's plan and Landa's clever and cunning step. The final chapter of the movie, this has almost all the characters in the picture. The conversation between Landa and Bridget von Hammersmark is a great tease play inquiring about Mountain Climbing in Paris. The Italian character names played by the Basterds are real time directors and they are of course Tarantino favourites. The Nation's Pride movie which is a movie with-in the movie is actually directed by Eli Roth. Shosanna sends a message to the German with her footage at the end. The plan to burn the germans and kill Hitler are good to watch though they are very artificial if you had to think logically. Clever Landa goes for an agreement deal with Operation Kino via Aldo. All just happens in a GO.

Inglorious Basterds is truly a movie with great fun and real surprise.