Analysis on Silence: Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin was known well for his wacky style and satirical humour. He was unique in appearance, known for usually dressing up in a top hat, with a grimy suit, big boots, and typically held a cane, as well as had that distinctive mustache. The way looked added a lot to his performance. He has a famous backwards kick, and a very particular walk cycle, in which he would sort of wobble his upper body whilst kicking his legs forward and swinging his cane. It's a very unique motion that some would say adds to the charm of his movie persona. He, as well as many other actors in that era, would wear black and white make-up in a manner that fits their characters, and Chaplin was told to resemble an older man, so he ingeniously wore a lot of make-up, giving him a younger appearance, but wore a fake mustache so that he fits the appearance he was told to have only his facial expressions are clear.

Chaplin's performance has a very positive influence on animation, for its emphasis on character and emotion, establishing each trait using exaggerated body movement. This is a very important principle of animation and is what mainly goes towards animated performance and acting. The appeal of Chaplin is his heavy focus on this, seeing himself more as a mime than other actors, and as such, the public had very rarely, if ever, even heard his voice. Modern Times, was his last silent film and was made in 1936, well into the talkie era. The only voices in that film were heard on a device, such as a radio or TV screen, even then the dialogue was very functional, just being there to move the story along, rather than trying to be funny. However, there was one sequence in the end of the film where, as mentioned before, Chaplin sings, and it is the first time his voice was ever heard on film. He sings gibberish, though, because he believed it was better than singing actual lyrics and still relying on non-verbal communication. There is actually a reliance on sound in Modern Times but never spoken dialogue.

His background in theatrical performance, and his image of himself as a mime artist as well as an actor/storyteller contributed to his acting style, and it comes off very well in his films.