Page 64 - All About History - Issue 33-15

ThefallofCharlieChaplin

Hat
Thebowlerisjusttoosmallfor
Charlie’s head, and so it only
enhances The Tramp’s misfit status
and tells us that this is the best he
can do.

Moustache
OnestoryhasitthatChaplin,in1914,
when working at the Keystone Comedy
Studio in the US, and waiting for the
rain to stop so they could resume
filming, found the moustache as part
of makeup intended for a villain. Chaplin holds a doll
version of his famous
character The Tramp

Jacket
Anatomy of Thejacketthat’stoo
tight accentuates The
The Tramp Tramp’s physically slight
Alongside a handful of other presence in a modern
movie characters, Chaplin’s worldthat’softenall-too
personaofTheTramp daunting, but which he
became globally recognised; alwaysfindsawayto
recognisable,even,justasa survive and outwit.
silhouette. Chaplin designed
thecostumeanditremained
iconicthrough22yearsof
work.TheTramp’soutfit
istheunderdog’ssuitof Trousers
armour against a crazy world.
With his way-too-
big trousers, The
Tramp’s legs get lost
in the shuffle and
subsequently he moves
withaparticulargrace
as though not quite
anchored to the ground.

Stick
Chaplin’sstickisan
integral, character-
enhancing prop.
Critically, the stick is a
tip of the metaphorical
hattothe19th-century
musichallcostuming
traditions that Chaplin
knew so well.

Shoes
Thesize14shoesarefartoobig
and helpfully distort Charlie’s
physicality. This results in visual
comedy even when Chaplin is
motionless. The shoes are always
worn on the wrong feet.

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