The Birth of the Tramp

Very good French documentary on Charles Chaplin's career, exploring, besides his brilliance and historical innovations in cinema, and the specific elements of each stage - Keystone, Essanay, Mutual - other important traits of theatrical apopular arts: Victorian music halls, vaudeville entertainment, slapstick comedy in cheap and dirty movie theaters for working class, the recent restoration of Chaplin's first short films... a must-see for every fan o Chaplin and anyone who is interested in history of cinema.

The Birth of the Tramp (2013)

*** (out of 4)

Peter Hudson narrates this documentary that takes a look at Charles Chaplin's career before his Tramp character and how he became a legend when he created the homeless treasure. Kate Guyonvarch, David Robinson and film historian Kevin Brownlow are on hand to discuss what Chaplin was doing in the early part of his career and how The Tramp was born.

There have been countless documentaries on the life and career of Chaplin so one must keep that in mind when they view this. THE BIRTH OF THE TRAMP isn't nearly as great as something like UNKNOWN CHAPLIN but fans of the comic legend will certainly want to watch this since it gives a lot of detail in the actor's career before The Tramp and certainly before his later day films. It gives a lot of detail to Chaplin's early work and we get to hear about how his popularity rose over time and how he would eventually become a legend.

The documentary is certainly well-made and there's no question that Robinson and Brownlow are among the most knowledgeable people so getting to hear from them is always great.

The material presented here is really fascinating and gives a great insight into Chaplin's beginnings and early development. However, the film ends just at the point that Chaplin's career got really interesting, so it feels as if you've been short-changed. Worth a look, but don't expect too much.

While I don't think this show about Chaplin is among the very best on the man (I'd probably say "Unknown Chaplin" might just be that), it is very good and a nice discussion of the early stage and film career of Charlie Chaplin. It focuses quite a bit on his early poverty and tough childhood as well as his career in short films. It stops with his years with Mutual Studio--ending around the time of the First World War.

I think the biggest reason I only scored the show a 7 was because it was just too short. At 52 minutes, it's only a glimpse into Chaplin and leaves a lot unsaid. A decent biography and examination of his career and filmmaking could be a mini-series all by itself! So, for the advanced Chaplin fan, it's just not enough but for the casual viewer it's well worth seeing. As for me, I liked it because they often showed Kevin Brownlow and got his impressions of Chaplin. Brownlow is a genius when it comes to the lives of many of the silent film stars and has made the best documentaries on these folks-- including Chaplin.