Chaplin's Use Of Pathos In The Tramp By Charlie Chaplin
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His films improved steadily once Chaplin became the director. In 1915 he left Sennett to accept a $1,250-weekly contract at Essanay Studios and his brother Sydney took his place as Fred Karno’s leading comedian. It was with Essanay that he began to use elements of pathos into his comedy. The fourteen films he made for the company were distinctly marked and designated upon release as the “Essanay-Chaplin Brand.” The company’s headquarters were in Chicago, and the company had a second studio in Niles, California. The most celebrated of the Essanay comedies, “The Tramp”, is regarded as the first classic Chaplin film. It is noteworthy because of Chaplin’s use of pathos in situations designed to evoke pity or compassion toward the characters. The…show more content… Having divorced Mildred in 1921, Chaplin married in 1924 16-year-old Lillita MacMurray, who shortly would become known to the world as film star Lita Grey. Chaplin and Lita then divorced in 1927. After much hesitation, he released his feature City Lights in 1931 as a silent, despite the ubiquity of talkies after 1929. In 1932 Chaplin began a relationship with young Paulette Goddard. His next film, “Modern Times” in 1936, was a hybrid, essentially a silent film with music, sound effects, and brief moments of dialogue. Chaplin also gave the Little Tramp a voice, as he performed a gibberish song. It was the last silent feature to come out of Hollywood, but audiences still turned out to see it. Most significantly, it was the Little Tramp’s final performance. In 1940 Chaplin released “The Great Dictator”, which was his most overt political satire and his first sound picture. The hysterical tone of the film’s lampooning was a movement away from his usual poetic approach. “The Great Dictator” was simply too outraged to permit much in the genre of gentle comedy. The film did well at the box office, and he received his only Academy Award nomination as best