Charlie Chaplin and my Niece - DPChallenge Forums

Olympus 17mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko

03/08/2009 07:23:06 PM · #1

Here's a blog entry I wrote about another visual medium, the cinema:

//nowculture.blogspot.com/2009/03/helping-charlie-chaplin-help-my-niece.html

ubique

Olympus PEN-F

03/08/2009 07:43:53 PM · #2

Originally posted by posthumous:

Here's a blog entry I wrote about another visual medium, the cinema:
//nowculture.blogspot.com/2009/03/helping-charlie-chaplin-help-my-niece.html

Had I the means I would award you a posthumous blue for that. It's beautifully coherent, and presented in the very same simple-sophisticated style for which Chaplin himself is so admired. An imperishable pleasure. Thank you.

Message edited by author 2009-03-08 19:44:12.

alfresco

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

03/08/2009 07:58:16 PM · #3

What Paul said. Twice.

bmartuch

Nikon D7200

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

03/08/2009 07:59:21 PM · #4

Just out of curiousity Don, what do you do for a living? What ever it is, you should give it up and go into teaching at the high school or college level. I was very impressed with how you diasected that movie. I could be wrong as I have been before but my guess is that you do the same with literature and that's something I was never able to do. I dispised literature and "gasp" poetry in college because I couldn't do that. Anyway, very impressive!

You da man!

Message edited by author 2009-03-08 20:00:01.

03/08/2009 08:02:02 PM · #5

I was thinking of doing a series. The toughest part is coming up with great movies that are kid-safe. Even supposedly G-rated old b/w stuff often has very adult themes.

Bob, I don't do anything for a living right now, but I have been known to be a programmer. Teaching is something I've considered, though I don't think I have the constitution or temperment to be a high school teacher.

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

03/08/2009 08:33:12 PM · #6

p.s. thank you for the supportive comments. They are much needed.

eschelar

Canon EOS-7D

03/08/2009 09:38:26 PM · #7

good post by postH.

Charlie Chaplin was a very interesting character. I also enjoyed learning a bit more about the song 'Smile' which was written by him.

he seems to have had a very keen sense of contrast because his life was lived as a comedian burdened with sadness.

love this:

Originally posted by postH:

Theme: The most important thing about love isnâ��t getting together. Itâ��s helping someone else.

This is nicely reflected in your comments about the ending and its suddenness.

Right there you find something that is atrociously overlooked in so many films. It was like that moment in Titanic when Jack and Rose consummated their love in the back of a car and instantly broke the 'suspension of disbelief' and lowered the entire movie a good couple of notches and unraveled the potency of any amorous tension between the two.

Another movie that I couldn't help but be reminded of when reading your post was Kung Fu Hustle. It also uses outlandish excessiveness to mask a really good presentation of a very similar plot to the 'lights' movie. I also was completely surprised by how much emotional impact that the ending had in what I had previously assumed was a ridiculous movie. Reflecting on the movie after watching it really shows how the characters are not really characters but elements in skilled storytelling. Highly recommended. Not sure if it's available in English, but the dialogue is rather secondary because it accomplishes so much visually.

pointandshoot

Canon EOS-10D

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

03/08/2009 11:15:22 PM · #8

Fantastic, lucid piece of work, Don. This would be helpful to students/teachers in a wide range of ages. I would think there would be numerous teachers who would love to have this available, either as an online teaching aid for themselves, or directly available to their students for discussion.

Maybe do the same for some of the classic books and works of poetry. I always dreaded the teacher's analysis of the classics we were required to read in high school, mainly because I couldn't understand the teacher, and I had a feeling the teacher didn't understand either.

citymars

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

03/09/2009 12:36:49 AM · #9

That was really interesting. I've never seen that entire movie, but now I want to see it from start to finish. Thanks!

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

03/10/2009 12:35:31 PM · #10

In an interesting coincidence, this movie has a video review in today's NY Times.

FWIW, my mom knew Charlie Chaplin, back when her roommate was dating his son, Sydney ... :-)

I still think my favorite is The Gold Rush ...