Back in 1914, a young Charlie Chaplin was hurriedly told to throw together a funny outfit for Mabel’s Strange Predicament. In what might otherwise have been a throwaway moment in history, Chaplin assembled a costume based on contradictions: baggy pants with a too-small coat, overly large shoes with a tight derby hat, a cane and a gentleman’s mustache concealing a lower-class upbringing. It was then that the iconic Little Tramp was born (though he made his debut in Kid at the Auto Races, released two days earlier.) Back in those days, you had a funny hat and an hour to kill, you had yourself a movin’ pitcha.
Whether you see this moment as an accident or destiny, cinema was never the same. The Tramp transcended his Keystone roots and became the leading man in dozens of shorts and several genre-crossing feature-length films, many of which are still revered as classics. Chaplin himself became a powerhouse of the film industry, being given unprecedented amounts of wealth and artistic freedom by major studios. Though he had other characters and even continued his career—Tramp-free—into the sound era, his name and image will still be forever linked to that waddling, hopeless romantic who occasionally does cocaine after leading communist demonstrations.
Be sure to catch the Brattle’s presentation of selected highlights from Chaplin’s career in honor of the Tramp’s centennial, including his days as a Keystone and Mutual featured player, through to The Kid, The Gold Rush, City Lights, and his (debatable) final appearance in Modern Times.
THE TRAMP AT 100. BRATTLE THEATRE, 40 BRATTLE ST., HARVARD SQ., CAMBRIDGE. FRI 5.23 – TUE 5.27. SHOWTIMES AND TICKETS, VISIT BRATTLEFILM.ORG
