Londoners can catch a rare glimpse into the life of one of the city’s most famous residents from now until the end of the year, at a new exhibit on Charlie Chaplin at the Film Museum. Charlie Chaplin: the great Londonerfollows the actor’s life from humble beginnings in Lambeth to his eventual status as a screen icon and subversive pacifist figure.
Chaplin’s rise to fame was a gradual process that saw him progress from a poverty-stricken youth to the London music halls, theatre and eventually America and the movies. His story, and career spanning almost 70 years strikes a strong contrast with the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ celebs of the 21st century, and is an inspiring tale of talent over circumstances.
Much of the exhibition focuses on the forgotten years of Chaplin’s youth, exploring the music halls where his parents both performed, and where Chaplin’s talent was nurtured from around the age of 10. Many of these venues stood close to the Film Museum itself, which is based in the County Hall, South Bank.
The exhibition then invites us to explore Chaplin’s life as a Vaudeville performer on the US stage, arrival in Hollywood and eventual emergence as an anti-war figure; a side to the comedic actor that may come as a surprise to many younger visitors, who’ll have only seen footage of the star strutting about in his oversized shoes and ill-fitting suit. But the height of his success, Chaplin’s stance against both the First and Second World Wars was considered to be extremely controversial, and led in some cases to public anger. But his strongly anti-Nazi themed film The Great Dictator would later become one of his greatest and most respected works.
The Exhibition at the London Film Museum runs until December, and tickets can be purchased here for £12
