Expert: DM - 1/27/2010

Question
Hello,
I would like to know about Chaplin's influence as director and actor and if it's shown in other actors, filmmakers etc?

Thank You!

Answer
Dear Kajsa,
Thank you for asking such a good question. Although it sounds like a homework assignment question, I'll attempt to answer this for you, but I will also encourage you to do your own research.

Most people think that Chaplin had little influence as a director or as an actor. He was unique, and no actors that followed him ever worked in his particular niche. As a director, his films are known for their static quality; the camera was never important for him as anything other than a device to record his carefully worked out physical routines, which often had more in common with ballet than theater.

His special brand of physical comedy brought him great fame, and once he left Mack Sennett, he signed a lucrative contract with Essanay, Mutual, and then First National. Money flowed in. Those windfalls allowed Chaplin to spend more time on writing, directing, and acting -- giving him time to improve quality. He knew that the only way to preserve his career in the long-term would be to continually hone his skills rather than cash in for immediate profit. His film output became less and less frequent, until when he produced feature-length films, he could often spent years concentrating on each prestige project. Once again, no other directors or actors ever had that kind of extreme luxury.

To read more about Chaplin, first read his autobiography. Secondly, watch his 12 Mutual comedies, and then his full-length films City Lights, The Circus, Modern Times, The Great Dictator, and A King in New York. Then, form your own opinion on whether you recognize any aspect of him in any other performer or director. I suspect you won't. Charlie Chaplin was a solo performer, who worked at his own pace, in his own style, and no one has ever come along that could fill that unique niche.

Sincerely,
David Menefee
PO BOX 181662
Dallas, TX. 75218
USA

Web: www.thegreatstars.com

Author
Sarah Bernhardt in the Theater of Films and Sound Recordings
The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era
The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era
Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures
George O'Brien: A Man's Man in Hollywood
Texting Harry (with Connie Podesta)
A Craving for Travel II (with Jim Strong)
The Unflappable Irving Link (with Ferdinand Hauslein, Jr.)
"Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat " Thomas Story (with William Thomas, Jr.)
Brothers of the Storm
The Remarkable Mr. Messing



David's book, Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures, was named in the "Top Ten Books of 2009" by the San Francisco Examiner.


No one will ever forget the scene in D. W. Griffith’s Way Down East where Richard Barthelmess as David rescued Anna Moore from certain death on an ice floe as it was about to plummet over a waterfall. The actor risked his life for that stunt, and the exciting sequence still thrills audiences to this day. His effort to fight back and live on became more than the stuff of Hollywood legend. Richard went on to be nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor for The Noose and The Patent Leather Kid. His signature roles are in many of D. W. Griffith’s silent films including Broken Blossoms, Scarlet Days, The Love Flower, and The Idol Dancer. Few people are aware that he was nearly felled by the chaos of Hollywood’s transition from silent to talking pictures when he used a voice double to sing for him in Weary River. Despite the setback, his transition to talking pictures and work in The Dawn Patrol, Cabin in the Cotton, and Only Angel’s Have Wings proved that his talent was enduring.  


For the first time, the story is fully told how Alla Nazimova, a famous Russian star, plucked him from obscurity to play in her first film, and how his worldwide fame was nearly snuffed out when he followed America’s call to arms and gave up his movie career to assist in the fight against Nazi aggression in World War Two. By the time he returned to civilian life, a new generation had grown up never seeing his work, but his determination to succeed against all odds regained a foothold in films, and he continued to work until retiring to a happy life as a senior citizen. Richard appeared in more than 80 films, and this book reveals them with a richly researched biography, an extensive Filmography, and hundreds of rare portraits, posters, and lobby cards that capture the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Era.

Published exclusively at www.bearmanormedia.com

For more information, contact:

Ben Ohmart books@benohmart.com

www.bearmanormedia.com


The second edition of this exciting, new book is now available:

Sarah Bernhardt in the Theatre of Films and Sound Recordings
Foreword by Kevin Brownlow
Exhaustive research in every major archive of the world has created this compilation of information and images focusing on Bernhardt’s films and twenty early wax-cylinder and disc recordings. Detailed analyses of the motion pictures include plot synopses, casts, production notes, and contemporary reviews. Complete records of Bernhardt’s work on stage, in films, and recordings are annotated and indexed.

The book includes such rare items as dramatic readings by Bernhardt on early wax cylinders and 78rpm (transcribed in the original French and translated into English for the first time), as well as stills from a previously unknown film (depicting the death scene from the 1921 Daniel).

Available online from the publisher at:
www.mcfarlandpub.com

Available by mail from the publisher at:
McFarland Publishing
Box 611
Jefferson, NC 28640
USA

Telephone (336) 246-4460
Fax (336) 246-5018
or toll free Telephone Order (800-253-2187)

Also conveniently available online from:
www.amazon.com (free shipping)
www.borders.com    
www.barnesandnobles.com
www.walmart.com

In France or Europe, order from:
Eurospan
3 Henrietta St.
Convent Garden
London
WC2E 8LU United Kingdom  
Or online from:
www.eurospanonline.com

In Australia and New Zealand, order from:
DA Information Services
648 Whitehorse Road
Mitcham, Victoria
3132 Australia
www.dadirect.com

In India, order from:
Viva Books
4325/3 Ansari Road
Daryaganj
New Delhi 110002
India
www.vivagroupindia.net



People who enjoyed the Sarah Bernhardt book also enjoy this unusual new book:



The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era, rediscovers the fascinating lives and pioneering achievements of 15 women who dared to venture into early motion pictures, an industry dominated by men, and who not only succeeded but became the focal points of the industry. Each star earned a position at the height of her profession, and though many are largely forgotten today, made a lasting and significant contribution to early cinema. This entertaining and informative volume reveals these women and their signature roles, drawing on many original sources to show us how such actresses as Theda Bara, Sarah Bernhardt, Dorothy Gish, and Norma Talmadge were received in their time, and the many ways in which their influence remains important today.



Each profile contains a biographical treatment, an analysis of key films from her career, a discussion of the actress's influence on the medium, and selected filmography. Each also includes two photographs, most often one of the actress herself and a still from a film.

Actresses include Theda Bara, Beverly Bayne, Sarah Bernhardt, Pauline Frederick, Carol Dempster, Gene Gauntier, Janet Gaynor, Dorothy Gish, Mae Marsh, Mae Murray, Alla Nazimova, Constance Talmadge, Norma Talmadge, Laurette Taylor, and Pearl White.

Order on-line from Greenwood Publishing at www.greenwood.com
or U.S. telephone 1-800-225-5800
or U.S. fax 1-603-431-2214
Order by email: orders@greenwood.com
Order by mail:
Greenwood Publishing
88 Post Road West
Westport, CT 06881-5007

Also conveniently available from:
Amazon.com
Barnesandnoble.com
Borders.com
Walmart.com


The first edition of this richly researched and handsomely illustrated new book is now available:

The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era,
Discover the captivating lives and groundbreaking accomplishments of fourteen men who dared to gamble their reputations by appearing in the first motion pictures, at a time when other actors in the “legitimate theater” scorned the industry. These amazing men not only defied the odds of success, but also received a place at the heights of a fascinating business that was a new form of art. Each made an enduring and important contribution to early cinema, although some are forgotten today. Exhaustive research in every major archive of the world has created this compilation of information and images. In this engaging and educational volume, David W. Menefee reaches into the vaults of history to withdraw countless, unusual details that tell how these men, their roles, and their influence were received in their time, and how their powerful impact still lingers today. The book includes 114 rare scene photos, portraits, reproductions of full-page film advertisements, and lobby cards.

Actors include: John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Richard Barthelmess, John Bunny, Francis X. Bushman, Lon Chaney, Jackie Coogan, William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Antonio Moreno, Jack  Pickford, Wallace Reid, Rudolph Valentino, and Crane Wilbur.

Available in a hard back Limited Collector’s Editon and a softback edition from:
Bear Manor Media
PO BOX 71426
Albany, GA 31708
Telephone: (229) 436-4265      
Fax :  (814) 690-1559  

Just released:
George O'Brien: A Man's Man in Hollywood

Just released:
"Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story

Please visit my web site:
www.thegreatstars.com

for many other exciting films and recordings of great stars in great plays that I have located around the world. You're certain to find several you will want for your own library, or to give as a gift, including:

Mothers of France starring Sarah Bernhardt.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD

Camille starring Sarah Bernhardt.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Queen Elizabeth starring Sarah Bernhardt
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Sarah Bernhardt in Performance
18 restored recordings on one CD,
plus the Sarah Bernhardt 101 Photo CD Album

Cenere, the only motion picture ever made
starring theater legend Eleonora Duse.
Restored film with orchestra score on new DVD.

Madame X with Broadway legend Jane Cowl
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

Pygmalion with Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

Peg O' My Heart with Broadway legend Laurette Taylor.
Restored radio dramatization on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.

John Barrymore performing excerpts from Hamlet and Twelfth Night.
Restored audio recordings of America's greatest actor on new CD.
Full cast, music, and sound effects.