Charlie Chaplin's Limelight opened on October 23, 1952, launching what would become one of the strangest Oscar stories in Academy history. The film eventually became the only one for which Chaplin won a competitive Academy Award, but that wouldn't happen for another 20 years.Limelight came late in Chaplin's career, well after he'd gained fame for playing the Tramp in early silent films. He was always political (see The Great Dictator), but after World War II and amid a rise of conservatism and the Red Scare, his liberal tendencies came under fire.By 1947, his film Monsieur Verdoux, which presented a nuanced portrayal of a murderer, had already been attacked as anti-American, and the American Legion was actively campaigning against him. So years later, when he decided to make Limelight, he retreated into more personal storytelling. - YouTube www.youtube.com Limelight Was a Personal Story for ChaplinIf you've seen the film, you know how closely and obviously it mirrors his real life. The film follows an aging stage performer, Calvero, an alcoholic, who rescues a young ballerina from suicide and finds renewed purpose in life.Chaplin, who started in British music halls, recreated the stages of his past. The story is melancholic and beautiful, and even features another silent movie star, Buster Keaton. It was the only time they performed together in a film.He spent two years writing the script and even prepared a 100,000-word novel called Footlights as backstory for the characters. It was never published.Chaplin's Troubles with Limelight BeginIn September 1952, Chaplin...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday