In this article, we will look at both character’s international reach. Additionally, we will analyse what makes their comedy so appealing worldwide.

Disclaimer

This analysis is not a defence of Charlie Chaplin’s horrendous crimes; it is merely concerned with the impact of his work.

International Reach

Firstly, how do you measure international success? Well, according to the BBC Mr Bean’s TV show was sold in around, “250 foreign territories,” and garnered, “a slew of international awards.” Additionally, the character’s two feature films collectively grossed over $400 million at the international box office. The films did particularly well across Western Europe, the USA, Australia, Japan and Brazil.

International box office numbers are harder to find for Chaplin’s films. That said, according to Chaplin biographer David Robinson his first feature film, The Kid, was shown in over 50 countries. With his profile only growing from there. His films received awards in Finland and Japan. He also has an international presence among artists. Figures like Federico Fellini (Italy), Jacques Tati (France), Jackie Chan (Hong Kong), Andrei Tarkovsky (Russia), Satyajit Ray (India), Idrissa Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Emir Kusturica (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Abbas Kiarostami (Iran) and more have praised or been influenced by his work. Thus showcasing his wide reach.

So what attracts audiences to these figures?

Universal Language

The most noticeable answer is their focus on silent physical comedy. Aside from some sparse dialogue both The Tramp and Mr Bean don’t talk. Instead, they rely on facial expressions and body movements to convey personality and the story. Their comedy is also focused more on choreographed slapstick. Audience laughter comes from the character’s exaggerated actions and reactions, the elaborately choreographed situations they find themselves in and the tension felt by audiences seeing more of a comedy setpiece than the characters.

This focus on comedy without words and instead on big displays of emotion and well-timed physical routines allows these figures to cross the language barrier because the focus is on feelings and visual storytelling not on dialogue. Making them more universal.

Relatable

But those qualities can be seen in many silent comedy stars, like Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and more. Is there anything unique about The Tramp and Mr Bean? Well, both characters live in relatable worlds. While both characters are played for comedy they also go through situations many of us can relate to. The Tramp is an underdog who comes from poverty. Many people across the world who are underprivileged can relate to the Tramp’s constant struggle to get by. Mr Bean also sources comedy from situations that many of us find familiar. Such as going to the swimming pool and struggling with the high diving platform or being terrified of a horror movie. These situations are relatable to many people across the world which allows us to be more involved with the comedic narrative.

Both are also rather childlike in their demeanour. They wear their emotions openly on their faces in a way that really makes you understand how they are feeling, are often oblivious to adult codes of decorum and conduct and seem to not be aware of the impact their actions might have on the world around them. However importantly their conduct is not done out of pure malice. Both characters feel like they just don’t know any better. Often they both act on impulse with solutions that would only really make sense to a child. They’re both essentially kids in situations everyone knows butting up against the rules of the world. Which is a feeling we all know, regardless of background.

Conclusion

In the end what makes The Tramp and Mr Bean so universal is the fact that they face the same trials as many of us, with an emotional innocence that we all recognise and they speak through their actions instead of words. These elements that speak to all of us are then elevated to the point of absurdity. Allowing us all, regardless of background, to laugh.

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Charlie Chaplin

One of Hollywood’s first superstars Charlie Chaplin was most famous for his character the Little Tramp or The Tramp. This was a ridiculous, good-hearted, bumbling, unlucky but optimistic character, getting caught up in scrapes and escapades without meaning to. The Little Tramp endures real hardship and there many sad moments but he often greets them with a playful sense. In the famous scene in The Gold Rush where he and his companion boil and eat his shoe, the other man grimaces throughout the difficult task whereas The Little Tramp seems to enjoy the experience, twirling the laces like spaghetti and sucking the “flavour” from nails.

The Starving Artist – Inside Llewyn Davis

Oscar Isaac stars as Llewyn Davis, a talented folk musician in New York in the early 60s, struggling to get by. He relies on friends and well-wishers letting him sleep on couches and lending him money. Davis is clearly immensely talented but can’t seem to find the luck he needs and is weighed down by the recent death of a close friend. On Brett Goldstein’s phenomenal film podcast Films To Be Buried With Nish Kumar cited Inside Llewyn Davis as the scariest film he had seen that year beating out any number of horror films because that is the fear of the musician/comedian/writer/artist. Davis’ struggle as he goes to friend after friend or running through the various contacts he has to find some way to make this work is heart-breaking – all the more so as he is talented.

The Drifter

A common feature of American storytelling and particularly in television as it lends itself to an episodic medium is that of the drifter. The person without a home who drifts across America, perhaps taking odd jobs, perhaps some manner of criminal, or maybe someone with a greater purpose. Recent hit Poker Face sees Charlie on the run from the mob driving across America, no home other than her car, getting casual labour and occasionally solving murder schemes. The old Incredible Hulk tv used this trope, with every episode seemingly ending with Banner hitchhiking to a new place, constantly on the move. Likewise, The Littlest Hobo featured much the same story – a drifter travelling from town to town – getting involved in scrapes and helping people, but the “littlest hobo” was a dog.

For much of Supernatural’s fifteen-season run Sam and Dean Winchester were monster hunters without a home – simply driving from case to case like a Mulder and Scully from a lower socio-economic background. When at one point the duo come to possess something akin to a home Dean, the more drifter-y of the two, who has perhaps never really had a home appreciates so much about the more settled life.

The Vigilante

The drifter who wanders from town to town helping people has a scarier cousin in the person who is homeless and is more vigilant. Rorschach in Watchmen is such a person, whether Rorschach’s situation is something he purposefully adopted as part of his extreme superhero lifestyle, or his extreme vigilante lifestyle means having the requisite money, resources and time needed to have housing (or a mix of the two) is not clear. In the film his superhero friend Daniel Dreiberg talks of Rorschach coming over to steal his food. The zenith of this trope could be the movie Hobo With A Shotgun and the title gives away much of the film. If a person fights evil, organised crime, supervillains they potentially have a lot to lose…Rorschach and the Hobo (the character has no name) could be seen as having a lot less to lose.

Tragic Situations

Some films are more thoughtful and harrowing portrayals of homelessness- such as The Florida Project, where the threat of homelessness hangs over the characters living in motels in the shadow of Disney World. Or 99 Homes where Andrew Garfield plays Dennis Nash who is evicted from his home and the only way to support his family is to work for the real estate broker who made him take away his home, doing the same to other families. These films highlight what many see as hopelessness and injustice in the system, Nash is a hardworking construction, and the families in The Florida Project have the odds stacked against them at every turn.

Also Read: How Hollywood Portrays Billionaires

The post Cinematic Perspectives: Hollywood’s Portrayal of the Homeless Experience appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

And because Warner Bros recently said Batgirl won’t see the light of day despite being almost finished let’s have a look at some famous unreleased movies and the stories behind their shelving. For this list, we are highlighting finished movies that were never released to general audiences. Either theatrically or on home media. 

The Day The Clown Cried

The holy grail of unreleased movies. The Day The Clown Cried is about Helmut Doork, a clown sent to a Nazi concentration camp who uses his talents to entertain the children in the camp. Before ultimately leading them to their deaths. Making a film like this was incredibly bold, but with such sensitive subject matter, you would have to approach the story incredibly carefully. Ultimately through the action of both co-writer Joan O’Brien and director/star Jerry Lewis’ disgust at the project, the film was buried. Lewis apparently did donate the film’s print to the Library of Congress before his death. Under the condition that it couldn’t be shown until 2024. Whether good or bad it’s hard to not want to see the film for historical purposes. At its worst, it can serve as a valuable monument to how careful artists need to be when discussing the Holocaust. 

Cocksucker Blues

There are many great musical tour documentaries. However, the Rolling Stones took director Robert Frank to court to ensure this behind-the-scenes look at their American 1972 tour was kept from cinemas. This was done because the film, shot cinema verite style to capture life on the road, showed images that the band objected to and which were potentially incriminating (a lot of drug use). The film is available online but could only have a limited number of public screenings a year with Frank present. And since his death, the film’s status has been very unclear.

Fantastic Four

Marvel’s first family didn’t debut on film in 2005. A Fantastic Four film had already been made in 1994. This project served as a group origin story and showcased their struggles against The Jeweler and Doctor Doom. There are conflicting reasons for the movie being unreleased. Some say Constantin Film wanted to hold onto the Fantastic Four rights, so Roger Corman was hired to make a Fantastic Four movie quickly and cheaply before they expired with the film never intended for release. Others say Marvel executives wanted the film suppressed so it wouldn’t embarrass their brand. Whatever the reason, the film has unofficial uploads available online. Check it out so the cast and crew’s hard work was not in vain.

A Woman of the Sea

The oldest unreleased film on this list, A Woman of the Sea was a 1926 Josef Von Sternberg silent film produced by Charlie Chaplin. The story centred on a fisherman’s daughter who competes with her sister for love. Apparently, after Von Sternberg held a screening without Chaplin’s permission and initial impressions were negative Chaplin shelved the film, until 1933. When he burned the film’s negative for tax purposes. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely another copy of the film existed. Meaning the finished film is lost.

Hippie Hippie Shake

Finally, our list’s most recent movie. Hippie Hippie Shake depicts the life of Richard Neville (Cillian Murphy) and his partner Louise Ferrier (Sienna Miller) as they set up Oz magazine’s UK division in the 1960s. As well as the problems they encountered when the magazine was taken to court on obscenity charges. The film’s production originally began in 1998. Filming eventually took place in 2007. And despite a rough post-production test screenings of the film were positive. However, the production company, Working Title, stopped its release for financial reasons. It seems a shame for the film to not be seen after all that effort. That said, with over a decade of silence the release of Hippie Hippie Shake seems unlikely.

Would you like to see any of these movies come out in the future or are there any other movies languishing in a studio vault we should have highlighted?

Also Read: Horrors On Horror Sets

The post Five Unreleased Films And Their Stories appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.