Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin was one of the greatest and most widely loved silent movie stars.From Easy Street (1917)to Modern Times(1936)，he made many of the funniest and most popular films of his time.He was best known for his character "the little tramp".It is this kind­hearted character that we connect with the time of silent movies.

Born in London in 1889，Chaplin first visited America with a theater company in 1907.Appearing as Billy in the play Sherlock Holmes，young Chaplin toured the country twice.On his second tour，he met Mack Sennett and was signed to Keystone Studios to act in films.

Chaplin was known as one of the most demanding men in Hollywood.He performed lots of comedies in his lifetime.No matter how big or small the size of the part，Chaplin walked each actor through every scene.Chaplin knew that a successful scene wasn't simply about the star，but about everyone on the screen.He required that all the actors and actresses work together in every performance.The only way to achieve that unity was to keep complete control over every scene.As he became more popular，he used more and more original and difficult filming techniques.Movies such as his 1925 hit，The Gold Rush，required unending reworking of scenes and rebuilding of sets.

Though Chaplin was of the silent movie era，his achievements were carried over into the films of today.His rigor and concern for the processes of acting and directing made his films great and led the way to a new and more wonderful cinema.

1.silent movie 无声电影

2.sign v.签署；签名

4.unity n.团结

5.rigor n.严谨

True(T) or False(F).