CHAPLIN: Last of the Clowns

by Parker Tyler ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 12, 1948

In the author's fairly plush and lush interpretation of cinema history, (Hollywood Hallucination-1944) his concentration is here on Charlie- the Tramp-, Chaplin, the developing creator and/or artist. In psychological correlation and investigation, this moving picture figure is traced from childhood to artistic triumphs, from the origins of his physical and projected idiosyncracies in individual pictures and characters to the progressive embodiment of his maturing years and works. This follows the cycle of the depth of his artistry, the decline of his imagery culminating in the latest production, Monsieur-Verdoux, herein described as the nadir (or rebirth?) of Charlie, the Child, the Clown- the artist. With the likeness and contrast to the traditional clowns, with the contradictions visible in the conscious artist, with the erotic neuroses, and scandals of his affairs and marriages, this uses the symbolic approach to explain the genius, full or incomplete, of what is now a cinematic tradition. For the intelligentsia who go for the involuted approach to interpretation.

Pub Date: April 12, 1948

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Vanguard

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1948

Categories: NONFICTION