2. Charlie Chaplin - From Global Icon To Hollywood Banishment
Britain's own Charlie Chaplin has the distinction of being perhaps the world's first internationally recognised movie star. Taking Hollywood by storm, Chaplin dominated box offices during the era of silent movies with his sentimental, vaudeville-inspired slapstick - without the barrier of language, the movies he created became legendary around the world and inspired mirth amongst people the world over. The on-set of sound in movies, however, meant that Chaplin became in danger of being left behind by a new breed of movie-makers. Yet, in The Great Dictator, Chaplin managed to show that dialogue was of no problem at all - the satire of Germany's fascist regime ends with one of the all time great monologues, urging the people of the world to rise up against "machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts". The twist that the most iconic actor of silent movies was also a powerful orator was a profound one. The real twist in Chaplin's career is, sadly, a rather tragic one. Having become politicised in his film-making with The Great Dictator, Chaplin continued to add social messages to his films - Monsieur Verdoux was a scathing indictment of capitalism and greed, arguing it leads to murder and mass killings. The film, of course, flopped and brought a lot of controversy and criticism Chaplin's way and also raised suspicion - in the McCarthy witch hunt era any public criticism of capitalism meant, by default, the figure was a communist. Chaplin's next film, the hugely moving Limelight, was an emotional and nostalgic look at the career of a forgotten vaudeville comedian which drew heavily on his childhood and current plight for inspiration. After it's 1952 premiere in London, Chaplin attempted to return to America where he was denied entry to the country - a nation which would then largely boycott the aforementioned film due to his perceived political attitude. Chaplin, the man upon whom Hollywood had built its industry, was exiled and remained in Europe for the next twenty or so years. A final, redemptive twist to the story came with the closest thing Hollywood have ever collectively come to giving an apology. For the 1972 Academy Awards, the 82 year old Charlie Chaplin was invited to receive an honorary Oscar for "the incalculable effect" he had on making movies the "art form of the century". He accepted the trophy in one of the most emotional events on record. In an ironic epilogue the film which ultimately disallowed Chaplin's living in America, Limelight, received an Oscar of its own the following year due to a loophole in voting.