And this aspect became vital, for once the company began having problems and each partner followed his own path, this model was applied into other film studios developed by the three men, with particular focus on the Keystone Film Company. This was due to the fact that films really absorbed all his energy and, thus, when shooting a film, he became a moody, unstable person which lead to a number of conflicts with crew workers and actors (famously with his third wife Paulette Goddard in the set of “The Great Dictator” in 1940 which lead to their divorce). All rights reserved. This reveals yet another distinctive trace in Chaplin’s style, he understood the emotional potential of film and its mechanics and used it to reach audiences, whereas, for instance, Keaton used this knowledge of the mechanics of film to build complex visuals and intricate narrative-gag sequences. This was the state of the film industry when Chaplin and Keaton began their careers somewhat around the 1910s. Then, as a sort of car part in a Ford’s assembly line, the film would be shot within days, edited and ready to meet the audiences. During the period of 1913 – 1935 Keystone produced a great number of “two reelers” (short films) and features films that were responsible for the birth and consolidation of slapstick comedy that often worked as a parody of more “serious” films such as Griffith’s. Contrary to Buster Keaton, Chaplin worked around unscripted stories and, thus, his storytelling process was based solely on improvisation. Therefore, one must assume Chaplin’s visual style as coherent, simple and sharp. Chaplin’s movies had more of a plot and were full of human reactions and emotions. These films, borrowing techniques from vaudeville and musical hall numbers, exaggerated in physical comedy and frequently used a number of recognizable elements such as throwing pies, poking the eyes, falling, chasing, etc. Buster relied more on physical comedy whereas Charlie Chaplin’s films had a storyline and it is his emotions that made people laugh. Through Sennett’s hand a number of people became Hollywood stars. Thomas H. Ince was responsible to conceive the production system adopted by Hollywood during its Golden Age. @media (max-width: 1171px) { .sidead300 { margin-left: -20px; } } Since Chaplin improvised a lot, editing was more than just the moment where the film was put together, it was the moment where all the apparent loose scenes he had shot were assembled into one piece – a film. In the simplest of words, the acting styles of these two comedians of silent era can be compared by saying that while Buster aimed for Physical Comedy, Chaplin aimed for Expressive Comedy. Names (with the exception of Fatty) that later diverge their own ways into the major studios. This model was also applied in the Triangle Film Corporation, a partnership between Ince, D. W. Griffith and Mack Sennett. Chaplin had an intricate knowledge of how to express himself through body motion and the importance of the body in performance. They both helped the movie industry by making funny and popular films. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal. Buster acted in films that had more violence whereas Charlie produced laughter with his situational comedy in daily life situations. There was much more physical comedy in Buster’s movies. Buster was referred to as The Great Stoneface while Charlie was very emotional and his body language and facial expressions conveyed his feelings much more than dialogues would, today. Since Chaplin improvised in many of his films, the adding of unexpected elements such as a fall or a gag with an object of some kind had to assume that the camera should be there to capture it. In 1912, “Inceville” was the first studio to test the following filmmaking method: a number of production units, each headed by a director, who had the responsibility of supervising a team of writers who delivered shooting scripts to their boss – Ince – and upon his approval, worked in collaboration with him to lay out the film shot by shot. Taste of Cinema 2019. However, Chaplin’s satire doesn’t come only from the characters but also from situations that reflect the values society lived and still lives for – the essence of its ‘rottenness’. Facts that made him want to control every aspect of his films. The year was 1913. All rights reserved. Because Chaplin lived an impoverish childhood with great difficulties, he always felt keen towards the underprivileged and this became an essential trace in his comedy, as well as, in the films he developed – from the biographical “The Kid” in 1921 to the great final speech in “The Great Dictator” in 1940 or through the characters of Monsieur Verdoux (who commits crimes in order to support his ill wife and young son) and Calvero (who does everything he can to aid the ruined Thereza). Buster relied more on physical comedy whereas Charlie Chaplin’s films had a storyline and it is his emotions that made people laugh. Taste of Cinema – Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists. While Buster showed no emotions and had a deadpan face, Charlie reacted with funny expressions to all situations in his films. The paranoia that followed WWII, caused troubles to Chaplin in America, particularly with the FBI and the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), ultimately leading to his exile in Switzerland where he lived until his death in 1977. Privacy Policy (http://www.tasteofcinema.com/privacy-notice-and-cookies/) Theme by, Taste of Cinema - Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists. Even though in the beginning of his career, Chaplin worked on a number of slapstick comedies, while developing his own style he left aside some of this basic slapstick elements and decided to develop the narrative complexity of his films by exploring the effect they had over the audience, as well as, developing ideas behind flat comedy just for the show. This sentence sums up Chaplin’s philosophy when it came to shooting and this is also connected with his creative process. In 1916, while fulfilling a new contract with Mutual Film, Chaplin successfully worked on films like “One A. M” (1916), “The Pawnshop” (1916) and “The Immigrant” (1917). Olivia is a Graduate in Electronic Engineering with HR, Training & Development background and has over 15 years of field experience. More in Chaplin than in Keaton, editing achieved an extreme importance. On this subject PBS describes Chaplin’s shooting process writing: “He shot and printed hundreds of takes when making a movie, each one a little experimental variation. Charles Chaplin vs Buster Keaton: Who Is The King of Silent Comedy? Chaplin used editing to achieve a visual perfection and precision in terms of rhythm while putting a clear emphasis on pathos and in the depth of scenes. Which controlled both production and distribution of films, as well as, theatre chains where they would be exhibited. Both Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton are considered to be greatest actors of the silent film era. The films produced by Keystone were responsible for the birth of Slapstick comedy. In the 1910s, American cinema, which was already exploring a new range of film genres like action, adventure, drama or fantasy films, was organized in Three Industry Giants: Paramount Pictures, Lowe’s Inc. (later became MGM) and First National Pictures. The most remarkable being “The Tramp”, “Work” or “A Night at the Show”. And many historians have claim “The Tramp” (1915) as one of the first examples of putting emotion in comedy, particularly, in a scene where the tramp gets shot by a farmer and instead of using this to introduce yet another gag, Chaplin chooses to have the tramp really hurt and showing pain which made audiences feel pity and sorry for Chaplin’s character. Many actors found the constant takes and uncertainty gruelling, but always went along because they knew they were working for a master.”. Chaplin also had a preference for shooting in studio because it provided him with an environment where he be in control of everything.