Director: Charlie Chaplin
Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Martha Raye, William Frawley, Marilyn Nash
Have I Seen it Before: Oh, certainly. I don’t think there’s ever been (nor will there be in the future) a film which possesses a title card which would wind up inspiring so much of my other work. “An Original Story written by CHARLES CHAPLIN (Based on an idea by Orson Welles).” So much passive-aggression in fourteen words. There had to be a whole novel there, right?
Did I Like It: I understand why this film was initially (and let’s face it, now) met with a lot of hostility. It’s such a thoroughly bleak film, both in the ethos of its main character and it s ultimate conclusions about the pitch-black nature of humanity. It’s in such a sharp contrast to The Great Dictator (1940), the only film conceivable which is both about Adolf Hitler, and deeply life affirming. Was Chaplin so horrified by the revelations of just how bad the Nazis were that he had to make another movie reflecting the very worst of humanity to square him with the cosmos?
As much as Dictator feels like an exceptionally adept initial full talkie for Chaplin, this one feels locked down and restricted by the sound equipment. the editing, too, is repetitive. How many times do I need to see the establishing shot of the trucks of the train with the same musical cue?
And yet, it’s still a fascinating film. Chaplin himself—and students of film—have accepted that Chaplin ceased his famed Little Tramp character with Modern Times (1936), even though the Barber character from Dictator is demonstrably so similar to the Tramp, that I think I know what’s really up. But here’s a thought: Verdoux is the Tramp, too. He changed the mustache later in life, and the terrible crushing reality of the world got to him, and he eventually met his end at the end of a guillotine blade, but in the way he moves and interacts with people I don’t see a new character, and I don’t see Chaplin bringing his personality to the role.
I see the Tramp, more so than I saw him in Limelight (1952). It’s a weird way for the little fellow to go out, but there’s something bold about giving such a beloved character such a depressing end.