On April, 16th 1889, writer, filmmaker, actor and icon, Charlie Chaplin was born. His films have gone on to be loved and enjoyed universally, and a frontrunner in showing the power of film and what it can emotionally do to an audience.
From his first feature film, ‘The Kid’ (1921)’, where the world first lay witness to his infamous ‘Little Tramp’ character. To genre-defining films such as the romantic comedy, ‘Modern Times’ (1936)’, and political satire ‘The Great Dictator’ (1940)’, he truly helped shape cinema and comedy.
To celebrate this, we asked Shintaro Ogai, winner of our 2020 Fall Contest, with his script ‘Riding With Charlie’, why he thinks Charlie Chaplin is so loved universally.
Here is his response:
WriteMovies: “Why has Charlie Chaplin been loved by people all over the world for over a century?”
Shintaro Ogai: “Because his films address issues important to people of every era: the ideas of class consciousness and status. His character, The Little Tramp, was influenced by his own experiences of financial hardships during his childhood. Throughout time, the themes of class, wealth, and social standing play an important part in every one of our lives, and Charlie’s comedy sheds light on all of these topics.”
If you want to read more about Shintaro Ogai and his winning script ‘Riding With Charlie’, click here!