THANK YOU, CHARLES!

To Chaplin with love! Perhaps this is the most relevant title for the gala held at the Nizami cinema by the State Film Fund and the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan. The event dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the great actor, screenwriter, composer, film director, producer and editor, universal master of the movies, creator of the most famous film character in the history of cinema, whom we all know from City Lights, Gold Rush, The Circus, The Kid and so on.

His name immediately brings back memories about a little man in big shoes with bended tips, wide trousers with suspenders, a short and shabby jacket, a narrow vest, a bowler hat, a walking stick, toothbrush moustache, a smile and... eyes! Expressive, huge, lively, talking. The master of silent cinema was able to speak with his eyes in a way that many could not even reproduce using words! The touching character of the Little Tramp left an indelible mark in the history of world cinema. He was imitated by Raj Kapoor in Mister 420, clown Karandash, and Alexander Kalyagin in Hello, I am your aunt!

Chaplin is right by us

Charles Spencer (Charlie) Chaplin was a genius of the 20th century, a man of difficult fate, with a big heart and great talent. He was the host of the wonderful atmosphere that the director of the gala, Deputy Director of the State Film Fund, Rashad Gasimov, the host of the event, the Honoured Artist and film expert Ayaz Salayev, actors Jeyhun Sadikhov and Bahruz Vagifoghlu, singers Javan Zeynally, Samir Jafarov, Narmin Kerimbeyova and Tunzala Gahraman created. The event was staged as a charming theatrical mini-performance, where the performers played their roles elegantly, without deliberate theatricality, bringing back on screen the characters of Chaplin's silent movies thanks to the classy performance of Jeyhun Sadikhov, Narmin Kerimbeyova and Tunzala Gahraman.

A big star

Following the discreet narrative of the host (Ayaz Salaev), we can see the episodes from films and real life of Charlie Chaplin on both the screen and the stage. It seemed that Jeyhun Sadykhov as Chaplin looked more convincing than the screen hero of the occasion did. Absurd? Of course! But this myth has a real life background going back to Hollywood and was made up by those who envied the talented actor: they claimed Chaplin was the 22nd best impersonation of himself at the competition of doubles. However, this did not damage the reputation of Maestro. He was and remains a big star on both sides of the ocean. In the USA, Great Britain, and in Switzerland, where Chaplin moved later, he always remained a person who gave the world the joy of comprehending cinema as a great form of Art.

The host also plunged into the details of life and creative search of Charlie Chaplin. How and when was the image of Tramp born? It is known than on the set of Mabel's Strange Predicament, Chaplin could not think of a make-up for his character. On the way to his dressing room, it dawned on him that he needed wide pants hanging like a sack, very big shoes, a bowler hat, and a stick in his hands. The actor wanted everything in his character’s costume to be contradictory: baggy trousers and a too narrow business card, a bowler hat that was too small for him, and huge shoes. To top it off, he came up with a small moustache, which should have made him older without hiding his facial expressions.

From the memoirs of Charles Chaplin: "When dressing, I did not think about what character should be hidden behind this appearance, but as soon as I was ready, the costume and make-up prompted me the image. I was feeling it. And when I returned to the pavilion, my character was already born."

The Little Tramp

That's how the little man with the common name Tramp emerged! Throughout the evening, he was among us, bringing joy to professionals and moviegoers, uniting everyone with a poeticised atmosphere of love and reverence for the talent of a genius. The artists, the audience, and the organizers of the gala thanked the great little man for the true Art presented to humanity! No, not with fiery memorial speeches, but with the memory of him, the love of his work.

Charles Chaplin lived a difficult life. He first appeared on stage at the age of 5 years. He sang a little song when his mother suddenly lost her voice during a performance. The little boy came onstage from behind the curtains and finished the song, getting applauses and money from the audience appreciating resourcefulness and artistry of the kid. He captivated the audience, when he started to collect the money with childish directness right during the performance, after which he returned to the stage and finished the song from his mother’s repertoire. At the end of 1898, Chaplin entered the children's dance group Eight Lancashire Guys. At Christmas of 1900, the Lancashire Guys participated in the Cinderella pantomime; Chaplin in a cat costume for the first time got the opportunity to make the audience laugh. In the spring of 1901, Chaplin left the Lancashire Guys. He rarely attended school, worked as a seller of newspapers, as an assistant to a doctor, in a printing house, etc., but did not stay anywhere for long because of his young age. At the age of 14, Charles was officially accepted into the theatre playing a role of a messenger in the play Sherlock Holmes in 1903. But then no one knew that this boy who could not read, who was taught the text of his first role with the help of his brother, would be the forefather of many cinematic techniques. He will compose his own scripts, write the story Ramp and memoirs, will be awarded the International Peace Prize (1954), become the winner of the Academy Award (1973), twice the winner of the Oscar Award (1929, 1972), and granted the title of Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin in 1975 by the Queen Elizabeth II.

The giant

From Martin Sieff's book on Chaplin, Life, published in 2008: "Chaplin was not just a big man, he was a giant. In 1915, he burst into the world like a ghost with his gift of comedy, laughter and help, at a time when everything was torn to pieces in the First World War. He continued to create over the next 25 years—during the Great Depression and the rise of Adolf Hitler... It is unlikely that any other person will ever be able to bring more joy, pleasure and relief at a time when most people so need them."

Toward the close of this wonderful event, Sir Chaplin's face appeared on the screen. Filmed in 1972, we see him without his traditional makeup. He was 83 years old at that time. Five years later, at the age of 88, he will pass. But now the eyes of the great man, who was only 1.65 m, were looking at us from the screen. But the greatness of his genius was immense.

Still frame

As a host of the ceremony, Ayaz Salayev made an announcement that the Oscar goes to Sir Charlie Chaplin 'for his invaluable merits in making the cinema an art'. On the screen was a video footage of Chaplin looking down into the hall and addressing the audience of the 21st century with a shaky voice, with tears in his eyes: 'Thank you! Thank you for appreciating my work, thank you for coming. Thank you!' It was like the people of Baku living in the 21st century presented the genius with one more award—our recognition, our memory, our love and gratitude to the person who really lived in the great art of cinema. His glory and achievements were genuine. Just like the rewards he well deserved. In response to our impulse and admiration, he answered with words of gratitude.

Then the great artist looked with slight sadness from the screen giving us an opportunity to applause him. They sounded longer than in Hollywood back in 1972! Three minutes but still longer. This is our Charlie Chaplin. He belongs to the world just as our love belongs to art called cinema! And for a long, long time, the audience did not leave the hall, going to the stage and looking at the screen, exchanged impressions, rejoicing that the space of this Art has no boundaries, no nationality, no time frame. And we convey all this to Chaplin with love…