Chaplin also suffered some mental anguish, and suffered from a mild breakdown in 1927. On the set of his movies he became hard to deal with, and this took a toll on his friendships. His dark moods became more obvious and made their way into his films. And all this time, when he was at his most successful, he had a fear of failure. It seems that the only saving grace for Chaplin at this time was his then-new marriage to Oona.
In 1972, Chaplin was honored with a tribute at the Academy Awards as a legend in Hollywood filmmaking. Attending that awards show, it was his first time back to America since the Red Scare accusations, and he was greeted with much love and affection by the Hollywood community.
On Christmas Day, 1977, Chaplin passed away of natural causes in his home in Switzerland. He was 88 years old. He left behind a legacy of films which are still relevant in today's culture. Chaplin always stressed that he only wanted to be judged by his art--more specifically for the film he felt was his masterpiece: The Gold Rush. Unfortunately, for many people Chaplin is only known for his scandals and rumors of scandals.
In reading Joyce Milton's book, Tramp, I found her to be very precise in her historical research by using hundreds of documents, articles and prior interviews with regard to Chaplin. For those who don't know much about this enigmatic and complex man, this book is an interesting and satisfying read. If you are a huge fan of Chaplin, you may find that this book doesn't tell you anything new. However, I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and I think you will, too.
 |
