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regular-article-logo Wednesday, 06 November 2024

How clothes made the man

Charlie Chaplin writes in his autobiography how he created his famous screen persona of The Tramp

The Telegraph Published 11.11.21, 12:06 AM
Representational image.

Representational image. Shutterstock

Charlie Chaplin writes in his autobiography how he created his famous screen persona of The Tramp, when acting in the short comic film Mabel’s Strange Predicament, 1914. “I had no idea what makeup to put on...However on the way to the wardrobe I thought I would dress in baggy pants, big shoes, a cane and a derby hat. I wanted everything to be a contradiction: the pants baggy, the coat tight, the hat small and the shoes large. I was undecided whether to look old or young, but remembering (producer Mack) Sennett had expected me to be a much older man, I added a small moustache, which I reasoned, would add age without hiding my expression. I had no idea of the character. But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the makeup made me feel the person he was. I began to know him, and by the time I walked on stage he was fully born.”

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