A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate (1923), dir. Charlie Chaplin
My opinion on this film might be surprising to some, because it seems like the film is generally not well-known, but those that have seen it consider it „good” – not great, not groundbreaking, but overall good. Well, I think it is mostly „meh”.
Apparently, Chaplin based A Woman of Paris on a true story, but I would have never been able to tell. I think that especially in the silent cinema this trope of a good girl arriving in the big city where she gets swept up in the nightlife and becomes a femme fatale of sorts is a common one and one I no longer find interesting.
I did not know anything about the main character by the end of the film. I did not connect with anything in it. It is just that – „meh”.
The Great Dictator (1940), dir. Charlie Chaplin
Yes, the rumors are true – I have not seen The Great Dictator before today. I’m not exactly sure why, probably I was just always distracted by everything else. But maybe there was a worry in me, an anxiety about seeing Chaplin make gags about Hitler at the same time as Hitler was murdering people across Europe. I have heard the famous speech from the film’s finale many times, though, and every time it made me cry – maybe I did not want my feelings about it spoiled.
It didn’t. The Great Dictator is an amazing film. The acting is wonderful (I think I am one of the few people who genuinely enjoys, and can think of Chaplin as „just a great actor” and not necessarily always a comedian-actor-director combo), the technical side of things seriously impressive. The most mind-blowing part of it all is, of course, the fact that it WAS made in 1940. THIS kind of look at Hitler. I cannot stress enough how important of a historical document this movie is.
But I have to say that I really appreciate Chaplin later saying he would never have made this film if he realized the true horror of Hitler’s atrocities. A director thinking making nazis into not much more than silly goofs was maybe not the greatest idea – what a concept. I wish we had that today (*cough*).
I struggle with calling The Great Dictator a masterpiece because I am honestly not completely sure if I truly consider it an overall amazing movie, or if I am just enchanted by The Speech. But that’s okay, I don’t think many things could top it.
More than machinery, we need humanity; more than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.
Monsieur Verdoux (1947), dir. Charlie Chaplin
Well, in Monsieur Verdoux, Chaplin is less of a lovable barber, and more of serial killer, but he still gives speeches of sorts. This time they are much more direct, maybe even bitter – the message „love one another” has been replaced with „what does one individual’s crime matter if there is an entire industry built on mass killing?”. It is less uplifting, for sure, but can we blame him? The Great Dictator was made soon after WWII began, Monsieur Verdoux comes with the experience of the entire war. I can understand it was particularly difficult to believe in the goodness of mankind then.
It is a dark comedy based on the true crime of a man who married multiple women and killed them for their money, and it is a commentary on a system in which the pursuit of wealth leads to violence. From a more technical point of view, I would say Verdoux lacks in certain aspects, but it is still a solid piece of work. Just keep in mind it will most likely depress you.
Swingin' at the Seance 