‘Charlie Chaplin vs. America’ Review: How the Tramp Was Trampled
Ared flag falls off a truck. A little tramp in a battered bowler hat picks it up and starts waving it, trying to catch the driver’s attention. He doesn’t notice that a crowd has formed behind him.
He has, all unawares, become the standard bearer of a communist parade. And now a row of policemen is rushing his way. This scene, from “Modern Times" (1936), turned out to have a grimly prophetic quality for Charlie Chaplin, the actor in the hat.
Sixteen years later, he was on a ship bound for England to promote his latest movie when the U.S. government announced it had revoked his re-entry permit. No specific reason was given, but it appeared to be because of Chaplin’s alleged subversive tendencies.
Evidence included his lack of interest in becoming a U.S. citizen (which could be perceived as a sign of hatred for America) and the fact that he had once attended a Shostakovich concert (a potential indication of pro-Soviet sympathies). After docking in Cherbourg, France, Chaplin declared that he had no political convictions beyond being an individualist who believed in liberty.
“I don’t want to create revolution," he said. “I just want to create a few more pictures." Chaplin vowed to return to America in six months’ time, but he wouldn’t see his adopted country again for 20 years. He would make two more films while living in Europe, but these would be considered inferior to the last three pictures he made before leaving America: “The Great Dictator" (1940), “Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) and “Limelight" (1952).
Read more on livemint.com
