The Denver Jewish news., 1925-09-10
CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S
JEWISH TRAGEDY
Moods While Laughing at u Chaplin
CoMedy

The author OF this article here indicates
why Chaplin. even u he had never bccu
typtraily Jewish artist whose creative
talents bear the undcninbc stamp OF his
race, The Editor.
As his silhouette glided across the
screen. Siding from one droll situation
to the next, his features remained nat
ural, apparently innocent of what was
to follcw. Everything that happened
, came as a surprise. AS sudden and un-
expected rs Fate itself.
| am sitting in the theatre, writhing
with delight.
This fellow Charlie Chaplin is real
ly TOO funny. and join wholeheartcd-
ly in the general merrimcnt that echoes
through the building
suddenly. intuitively, realize that
the general hlarity is not shared by
the one beside Iue. There she sits an
elderly woman, Il typical Jewish moth
cr, shedding bitter tears. With her
gaze transiiNcd ON the silver curtain.
she is absorbed in Charities tr,bula-
tions. The worse n time Chaplin has.
the more inconsolable and the more
touching her grief,
To weep Mt u Charlie Chaplin film
I Is not merely incongruous-!t Is phc-
nomcnaL II deserves investigation.
MY dear lady, what in the world Is
the matter:''
Shamefacedly. the sixty-year -old
mother in Israel raises her streaming
eyes. Her peutrating glance asccrtains
that would understand her Yiddish-
English. She walls:
what they want from him. the
goyim: Why they pick on HAN? What
did he done To them?'
"po yea mean Charlie madam"
who else? Can't you see they're
all af.cr him -
And | turned to the screen with diff
ferent eyes. | did not see poor Charlie
beng prosecuted by the Goyim: but
| Charlie the jew, or Rather Charlie the
i eternal Jewish "Shlemiehl." was re-
vealed to me. My boisterous laughter
gradually subsidized TO pensive smile.
How did | ever fail to recognize the
awkward "Yeshiva Bochur" in the
world famous comedian? For he is the
"Yeshiva Bochm" of II tragic.
awkward helplcssness, perretually
humping himself at every turn. Stumb-
ling. rcgaining his balance, and stumb-
ling again.
\ personality that cares not or is un-
able to assimilate and adapt itself
This slender Whitechapel Jew drags
| himself through all the manifold ad-
ventures of his various films, always
wearing the same absurd derby, the
ridiculously big shoes, the Intellectual
| cane-a lonely, strange. isolated figure
Il marked man wherever he goes. Fate
hairbrcadth escapes appear always as
miracles. OF course, this International
pierrot is ridiculous; when he cries,
we laugh, because awkwardncss. help
lessness. is the basis of all true com.
edy.
But is not great deal Of our
"Golus" history mlrrorcd in Charlie
Chaplin:
| Charlie Chaplin's humor is what tho
Germans call "Galgcn-humor"- Gallow.
humor, which is bitter, reflective, stud.
led II is satire of the subtlcst kind
Chaplin brings situation to its most
' tragic climaN-and then shrugs his
shoulders. shifting the scene into com.
cdy. Chaplins hunlor is the climax of
tragedy How different Chaplius con.
ccptiou of the comic from that of IL
Buster keaton or u Harold Lloyd.
! keaton is the typical English come
dian. whose eNpressionless poker face
keeps its apathetic immobilty through
thick and thin. kcaton never suffers,
He is surprised, stupefied but un-
touched. cold, within.
Lloyd IS the Yankee par excellence,
Cool. with perfect sang frod 1t is
his capacity for rapid thinking, his
| American rcsourcefulness that makes
him surmount all obstacles Both
Keaton and Lloyd achieve their comic
effect. when they are victorious, when,
through Il sudden and original man
ocuvre. they outwit the strong pursucr
Charlie Chaplin is essentially the vic
tim. He provokes mcrriment when he
is down, defeated, tragically helpless
He never really wins, he only escapes
He smiles wanly. because life is too
sad an affair to cry about. II you
would forget that Charlie is there to
make you laugh. you would lie inclined
to cry yourself.
1t is this Jewish conception of humor
and wit, this Hcincsque sarcasm, this
smiling through tears, this nonchnlant
grimacius at fuullty that character.
izes Charlie Chaplin more than any.