My Autobiography (Modern Classics)
by Charles Chaplin
Our Price: $11.50
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Charles ChaplinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-04-24
ISBN: 0141011475
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Penguin Books
Book Reviews of My Autobiography (Modern Classics)
Book Review: Read the entire book, please
Summary: 5 Stars
Despite all the exquisite books that have been devoted to Charlie Chaplin through the years, the comedian's own account of his life remains my first recommendation to anyone interested in his life and work. In fact, it seems to me that the relevance of MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY increases as every new book is written, because every Chaplin-biographer since has relied so heavily on the incredible memory, sensitivity and insight provided in this book. Thus to not recognize it in its entirety would likely result in an unbalanced view of the man.
It is the general standpoint that the first twelve out of twenty-nine chapters are the most fascinating. Born and raised in London, Chaplin's intense observations of the late Victorian era, seen through the eyes of a man who suffered a confused and insecure childhood, are often heartwrenching. Although Chaplin tells his story in retrospect as one of the richest and most celebrated personalities the world has ever known, it is made so obvious in his writing that the feelings of desperation and inferiority never quite left him, that I constantly found myself imagine not Chaplin the man, but Charlie the boy telling me his story as though it happened yesterday. His first appearance on the stage, the struggle for money, his mother being transmitted to a mental asylum, the death of his alcoholic father, his first experience with love, his rise from a bit player to a major comedian on the stage, leading to his first movie contract while on tour in the States; it is all here, told through a vast amount of anecdotes and descriptions of everyone and anything.
Chaplin devotes an entire chapter on his first year in the movie industry; he talks about the working methods of the time, the various comedians he worked with, his first attempts as a director, and of course the birth of his famous Tramp character who within months turned him into not only a star but also the truly first icon of the movies. He also spends some time further into the book analyzing the development of his character, how the Little Fellow (as he always named him) matured from a rough charicature with certain saddistic traits, into the lovable and (mostly) well-meaning Tramp we remember. As for his movies, one thing of particular interest to me was that Chaplin as early as in 1916 intended to make a science-fiction comedy, having his Tramp character travelling to the moon; one sequence was to have him feeded by a machine. Sadly this movie was never made, but Chaplin used the idea of the feeding machine twenty years later in one of his most acclaimed films.
However, as he turns attention to his position as a celebrity, it seems as though Chaplin becomes less interested in talking about his work. He shares interesting recollections of how he was inspired to do THE KID, THE GOLD RUSH, CITY LIGHTS, THE GREAT DICTATOR, MONSIEUR VERDOUX and LIMELIGHT as well as the receptions of these films, but only names a few particular incidents from the shootings. Several pages are spent on his trip to Hawaii in the early 30's, but the making of MODERN TIMES is gained less than two pages. Many readers find this disappointing, and not without reason, but I don't think the comedian's neglections are that surprising. The general enthusiasm in Chaplin's writing reveals that he probably wrote this memoir as much for his own pleasure as for his readers, and it can be assumed that he simply didn't find enough amusement in recalling the inexhausting years he spent on his masterpieces. On the other hand, he expressed in interviews that he remembered his early years as an entertainer with nostalgia; which quite certainly explains why he is more obsessed with his early work than later on.
As for his private life, Chaplin spends little time discussing his well publicized affairs with young women, including his two first wives. He does not by any means ignore this aspect of his life; he is frank with his interest in sex, which was mostly present when he had no work to attend, but prefers not to dwell on it, which I think is understandable considering that he'd led a very happy and healthy life with Oona and their children for twenty years by this time. I for one would hardly focuse much on such things if I ever wrote a memoir, as I think they are nobody's business but the involved parts. (Besides, as Chaplin- biographer Robinson has pointed out, this was in the 1960's when a "memoir" obviously was viewed by another standard than today.) From the infamous Joan Barry-scandal on, though (when he was forced to pay for a child that was not his), Chaplin is very open with his bitter feelings, and he remains such throughout the recollections of his exile from the U.S. in 1952.
The comparatively brief time spent on his sex life and working habits seems to be the only thing many people care about. What strikes me as far more important is that despite some slight disappointments, MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY remains a wonderful book throughout. Chaplin talks about love, loneliness, the nature of comedy and tragedy, and his passion for music even till the very last page. His vocabulary is outstanding; it is impossible to recognize the fact that this man got only two years of formal education. In contrast to most memoirs written by movie stars, it is vertified that nothing of Chaplin's book was ghost-written.
In addition to being an actor, Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, edited and compsed the music to his own films; it is through this phenomenal amount of talent, unequalled by anyone else in the business, that he remains one of the most recognizable figures the world has known. He gave us this book to tell his story, and we should be grateful for that.
Summary of My Autobiography (Modern Classics)
Born into a theatrical family, Chaplin's father died of drink while his mother, unable to bear the poverty, suffered from bouts of insanity, Chaplin embarked on a film-making career which won him immeasurable success, as well as intense controversy. His extraordinary autobiography was first published in 1964 and was written almost entirely without reference to documentation - simply as an astonishing feat of memory by a 75 year old man. It is an incomparably vivid reconstruction of a poor London childhood, the music hall and then his prodigious life in the movies.Performing Arts Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Performing Arts Books
The Film Director: Updated for Today's Filmmaker, the Classic, Practical Reference to Motion Picture and Television Techniquesby Richard L. Bare
Wiley; Published: 2000-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.75
Price in other shops:
How Movies Workby Bruce F. Kawin
Allyn & Bacon; Published: 1987-03-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $271.53
The Sun Soap Quiz Book: 2,000 Questions on Your Favourite TV Soap Operasby Chris Bradshaw
HarperCollins UK; Published: 2008-05-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.99
Price in other shops:
Make Your Own Adult Video: The Couple's Guide to Making Sensual Home Moviesby Petra Joy
Collins; Published: 2007-01-03; Paperback; Book
Blessings in Disguiseby Alec Guinness
Fontana; Published: 1986; Paperback; Book
Irish Dancing (Collins Pocket Reference)by Tom Quinn
Harpercollins Pub Ltd; Published: 1998-11; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Harmonyby Heinrich Schenker
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 1980-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.90
Price in other shops:
A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, Second Editionby Steven Louis Shelley
Focal Press; Published: 2009-10-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $38.82
Price in other shops:
The Theater Experienceby Edwin Wilson
Mcgraw-Hill College; Published: 1994-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.94
Price in other shops:
Bill Hicksby Kevin Booth
Harpercollins Entertainment; Published: 2005-03-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $40.00
Similar Books and other products
Chaplin: His Life and Artby David Robinson
Da Capo Press; Published: 1994-08-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $396.42
Limelight (Two-Disc Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2003-07-01; DVD
Best price: $49.98
The Circus (Two Disc Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2004-03-02; DVD
Best price: $12.24
Price in other shops:
Charlie Chaplin: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers)University Press of Mississippi; Published: 2005-01-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.34
Price in other shops:
Unknown Chaplin: The Master at WorkA&E; Release date: 2005-11-29; DVD
Best price: $12.39
Price in other shops:
The Chaplin Collection, Vol. 2 (City Lights / The Circus / The Kid / A King in New York / A Woman of Paris / Monsieur Verdoux / The Chaplin Revue / Charlie - The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin)Release date: 2004-03-09; DVD
Best price: $77.25
Price in other shops:
Modern Times (The Criterion Collection)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2010-11-16; DVD
Best price: $20.88
Price in other shops:
The Great Dictator (The Criterion Collection)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2011-05-24; DVD
Best price: $15.99
Price in other shops:
Chaplin (15th Anniversary Edition)DOWNEY,ROBERT JR.; Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $4.35
Price in other shops:
Chaplin: His Life and Artby David Robinson
McGraw-Hill; Published: 1985; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $48.90