week 8 wooo we're almost done

Week Eight: Charlie Chaplin and the Hollywood Movie Star

Films: The Champion (Charles Chaplin, 1915)

The Cure (Charles Chaplin, 1917)

City Lights (Charles Chaplin, 1931)

Reading Due:

1.     “Classical Hollywood Cinema: An Introduction” (TSCR)

2.     Charles J. Maland, “A Star is Born: American Culture and the Dynamics of Charlie Chaplin’s Star Image, 1913-1916” (TSCR)

3.     Peter Kramer, “The Making of a Comic Star: Buster Keaton and The Saphead (1920)” (TSCR)

For our first film The Champion (Charles Chaplin, 1915), the first thing I noticed was how odd it looked being in color. From a distance, it almost looks like the visuals are animated because of how unnatural it looks. Overall, all the films are very comical and simple to follow so I can see why they did so well.

With regards to the star system, I am most familiar with the story of the famous movie star Rock Hudson, who was very discreet about his sexual orientation but after his death, it was known that he was a closeted gay. His story fascinates me because of how much control his career had over his public appearance that he never was able to live out his true desires. Before this week, I had never heard of Charlie Chaplin. It is very inspiring to see how he paved the way for future actors by taking more control over his own career by creating his own studio. His demanding of a higher salary really goes to show how confidently aware he was of his talent. I think the star system is interesting, it's certainly something I can't ever see happening now in the 21st century. Though this practice ended in the 1970s, it's still crazy to think that it was a practice that many celebrities agreed to. The idea of being 'owned' and controlled in every aspect of your life obviously isn't appealing but seeing it in that time period, it does have its benefits for both the actor and the studio.