Charlie Chaplin on the enduring appeal of ‘The Tramp’
Standing as one of the forefathers of silver screen comedy, Charlie Chaplin is revered as a figure of incredible importance for the film industry as a whole. His signature style has endured over the ages to remain an iconic foundation and formation of so many comedic tropes that endure to this day.
Not only a trailblazer and pioneer who transformed the film industry, Chaplin possessed a deeper understanding of filmmaking and cinema than most of his contemporaries. He was far more than just an actor—he was an all-rounder, intimately familiar with every aspect of production, from directing and writing to editing and composing.
He was a performer, director, writer, producer, editor, composer, and even a studio mogul. Co-founding United Artists in 1919, Chaplin gained complete creative freedom and autonomy over all of his projects, becoming the first major star in Hollywood to shape the trajectory of their own future. The multi-talented legend made a number of films that will be remembered as classics, but his most famous contribution to the arts by far was The Tramp. One of the most indelible characters pop culture will ever know, the moustachioed favourite remains as recognisable now as ever.
His defining creation draws on an inherent desire within most people to break out of their regular persona and do something against the grain. Reflecting on his own career and The Tramp, Chaplin opened up to Richard Merryman about the formation of such a long-lasting character and how audiences interacted with it. Pointing to the “gentle, quiet poverty” of the part, Chaplin suggested that “every soda jerk wants to dress up, wants to be swell,” explaining, “That’s what I enjoy about the character.”
Despite that universality, Chaplin goes on to say that “I never really thought of the Tramp in terms of appeal,” but it is “something within myself I had to express.”
To that end, the lasting appeal of the persona is far more ingrained in an audience than an idea simply coming out of a focus group; the fact that viewers naturally gravitate towards it is evidence of the fact that everyone wants to relate to the characters they see on-screen on some level, not that Chaplin ever saw it that way.
Chaplin oxymoronically acknowledged how he was “motivated by the reaction of the audience, but I never related to an audience,” which he approached from a filmmaker’s perspective; “The audience happens when it’s finished, and not during the making.”
That commitment to putting the creative spirit first can be demonstrated easily in Chaplin’s own confession that “I’ve always related to a sort of a comic spirit, something within me that said I must express this.” He demonstrated a near-molecular understanding of what makes something funny, which is prevalent throughout his illustrious line of comedic works.
The Tramp was born from Chaplin’s imagination, but he was always cognisant of what his audience would think and how he wanted them to react when he played the role. With that in mind, the timeless appeal of the character resonates even more, knowing that Chaplin was in full control of the process and had full authority over what would be done, and what he wanted to do was entertain as many people as possible.
