Chaplin, The Man And The Star

Title: Chaplin, the Man and the Star.


What I am about to discuss in this essay is the performance of Charles Chaplin (Robert Downey, Jr.) in the autobiographical film titled Chaplin (RichardAttenborough, 1992). This clip mixes Non-Realistic and Realistic performances. Furthermore, it is divided into three different scenes, each of them with its own characteristic style.
Regarding NRperformance, it is filmed in a comical and surrealistic style. An interesting fragment of this kind of performance can be observed in the part of the clip corresponding to the scene in which Chaplinescapes from the police. Although it is quite funny and uses music that drives us into a comical aesthetic, it is not realistic at all. As it is usual on silent cinema, actors cannot talk. Therefore, theymust use other elements as music or exaggerated and comic movements to make the scene interesting to the spectator. From my point of view, it is an attempt to recreate the flavour of an old Chaplindoing a simple role. However, it does not fit in with the rest of the film’s style. This usual simple role is not eternal on Chaplin’s films; he changed his mind and accepted to do talkies movies. Thisscene is only a reminiscence of the former Chaplin who worked in theater and silent film.

The two other parts of the film are R ones. There, Downey Jr. acts not as a Chaplin “The Tramp” but asChaplin himself. He shows us how he feels devastated, owing to his mother’s madness and the loss of his beloved woman.
Contrasting to this view of Chaplin as a simple and close person, there is a momentin the third scene on which we can see the professionalism that any success star has to have. In this scene, a sudden and thrilling music appears, and at that moment, Chaplin’s face changescompletely. Chaplin smiles enthusiastically and greets everyone, despite being really afflicted at the bottom of his heart. This change of attitude when he gets off the train is the proof that Chaplin is an...