Latest news with #CharlieChaplin
Time Out
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Silence is golden
Before films found their voice, silence was the soul of cinema. Stories unfolded in black and white and the only dialogue was the one between the screen and our hearts. There were no words – just glances, gestures and music that filled the air. Sometimes a lone piano. Sometimes a full orchestra. Or even Thailand's own trae wong (traditional brass band). By the 1910s and 1920s, silent film had blossomed into an art form. Directors like Charlie Chaplin, F.W. Murnau and Yasujirō Ozu crafted stories so rich in emotion, they didn't need dialogue – just images and atmosphere that spoke straight to the heart. Black and white may no longer be the norm, but it's still a powerful creative choice. And for new generations of movie lovers, this is a rare chance to experience that magic all over again. Over the past years, the Thai Film Archive has welcomed some of the world's finest silent film accompanists, including Maud Nelissen from the Netherlands and Japan's Mie Yanashita both known for their live performances that breathe life into these films. Now, the ninth edition of the Silent Film Festival is set to return to Sala Cinema at the Thai Film Archive (Public Organisation) on Phutthamonthon Sai 5 Road. Co-presented by the Thai Film Archive and the Thai Film Foundation, with support from the Department of Cultural Promotion, this year's festival continues to honour the silent cinema featuring masterworks from both East and West. The full programme will be revealed soon.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Charlie Chaplin makes a comeback in Hanoi (sort of)
Movie star Charlie Chaplin honeymooned at the Metropole in Hanoi with wife and actress Paulette Goddard in 1936. And the black-and-white film legend has now made a comeback, of sorts. For Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi held a new exhibition called Charlie Chaplin: Echoes of a Legend, which featured items from the private collection of Australian collector Paddy MacDonald. The display in this iconic 124-year-old luxury hotel in Vietnam's capital included rare posters and original century-old sheet music. There was also an edition of TIME Magazine published on July 6, 1925, which was the first time an actor had featured on its cover. Mr MacDonald's memorabilia has been sourced in nearly 50 countries around the world, including Australia, the US, Ireland, France and Cuba. The exhibition at Metropole Hanoi opened on June 24 — the start of a month-long showcase in the hotel's Heritage Wing and Opera Wing lobbies. The exhibition closed on July 22. At the opening, Mr MacDonald reflected on Chaplin's legacy and the enduring power of culture. He commented that: 'A hallmark of the Metropole Hanoi hotel is culture.' And he quoted Chaplin, who once said: 'Culture does more to change things than legislation or academic papers — it gives us heroes and helps us accumulate inner strength.' The actor's legacy at the hotel is evident: + The Charlie Chaplin Suite, on the third floor of the hotel's newly renovated Heritage Wing, has natural wood flooring, hand-tufted carpets and bespoke furniture. + It took 21 months to restore and renovate The Heritage Wing, with its 103 guest rooms and suites. It reopened early in 2024. The Hotel Metropole Hanoi has lived at the heart of Hanoi since 1901. It has hosted holiday makers and business travellers, playwrights, ambassadors, royalty and heads of State. The team there says: 'It blends colonial heritage with neo-classical luxury and a dash of modernity. The hotel is the first Sofitel Legend in the world and the recipient of numerous international awards for its fine service. This legendary landmark has contributed to the richness of local heritage. 'The hotel includes 358 rooms that are divided into two wings — the historical Heritage Wing and the neo-classical Opera Wing. There are three legendary suites that are named after famous residents and visitors to the hotel (Graham Greene, Charlie Chaplin, Somerset Maugham).' There are six restaurants and bars.
LeMonde
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
As World War II ended, the French Riviera became a 'GI's heaven'
Blues, pinks, reds… Multicolored sparks lit up the sky over Nice on the evening of July 4, 1945. Ten days before the traditional Bastille Day festivities, the city was celebrating on the Baie des Anges. The war already seemed far away, even though fighting had continued into the spring near the Italian border. Food was still scarce, reconstruction was slow to begin and the atmosphere remained heavy with purges and calls for vengeance, just as they did across France. Though perhaps more intensely in Nice, a city that in 1940 had inherited the grim nickname "Eldest Daughter of the National Revolution" from Philippe Pétain. But on this night of July 4, as firecrackers echoed, the mood along the Promenade des Anglais was relaxed. The famous seaside boulevard had not regained its former glory. Mines still littered parts of the coast, swimming was not entirely safe and bunkers still lined the beach – sometimes disguised with fake shopfronts painted by the Germans. As a result, sea bathing was not really part of daily life for "long-established Niçois, who were generally not very receptive to this semi-Baudelairean invitation," read a column in La Liberté de Nice et du Sud-Est. So, no swimming for the people of Nice, but the entertainment was still plentiful. One year after the city's liberation, on August 28, 1944, audiences at the Paris-Palace cinema applauded Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece The Great Dictator – "remarkable in every respect," according to one local critic. Next to the Rationing section, newspapers listed daily "Feasts and banquets." Bars and dance halls regained their clientele and enjoyed certain privileges that were not universally appreciated: "Since the Liberation, they have invested several tens of millions to renovate their establishments. (...) It seems to us that raw materials should go not to places of pleasure, but rather to schools, hospitals and workers' housing," lamented La Liberté de Nice et du Sud-Est.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Monty Python star says he'd be in ‘select company' if thrown out of Trump's America
Monty Python icon Eric Idle has said that he'd be 'proud to be thrown out' of Donald Trump's United States as he'd be in 'very select company'. The comedian and actor, 83, best known for his roles in the Monty Python films Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979), has delivered a blistering takedown of the US presidents, whom he has branded a 'treasonous monster'. Idle made the remarks to The Guardian during a unique interview, which featured questions from Steve Coogan, David Mamet and Eddie Izzard. Responding to a question by comedian Tracey Ullman about Trump, Idle said that he didn't find anything 'funny' about the president and that the POTUS has 'no end of capacity for stupidity'. He continued: 'Every summer I go to France because I can't stand the news. I can't stand hearing about that man every minute of every day. They're completely obsessed by him in the US. It's like they're addicted to him.' Later in the interview, Idle answered a question from Chicago actor Catherine Zeta-Jones about whether there is a subject he still dreams of turning into a joke. 'It's very scary now because they're stopping comedians at the border and if they have pictures of Trump on their phone they don't like, they don't let them in,' he replied. Idle, who lives in Los Angeles, added: 'I've had a green card for about 28 years. I'd be proud to be thrown out because I'd be in very select company. The last English comedian to be thrown out of America for political reasons was Charlie Chaplin.' Chaplin was exiled from the US in 1952 over allegations he was a communist sympathiser and scrutiny of his private life. The actor and director later settled in Switzerland, having lived in the US for 42 years. It comes after Idle's Monty Python colleague, Terry Gilliam, claimed that Trump had 'destroyed' satire, and inadvertently derailed his new movie, a satire about the apocalypse called The Carnival at the End of Days. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gilliam argued that the return of Trump has significantly affected the state of humour by challenging 'woke' ideals. 'I think Trump has changed things considerably,' he said. 'He's turned the world upside down. I don't know if people are going to be laughing more, but they're probably less frightened to laugh.' '[Trump has] f***ed up the latest film I was working on,' the director added. 'Because it was a satire about the last several years when things were going as they were. He's turned it upside down. So he's killed my movie.'
Broadcast Pro
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Cinema Akil brings back ‘Summer of Classics' season
Spanning a full century, from the silent wonders of the 1920s to the poetic tales of today, this programme brings together 14 films that continue to move audiences around the world. Cinema Akil has announced the return of its Summer of Classics season, offering audiences in Dubai the chance to revisit 14 iconic films that span nearly 100 years of cinema history. As the summer slows down in terms of new blockbuster releases, this curated programme offers a journey through landmark works that continue to resonate with viewers across generations. The selection begins with two silent-era masterpieces from 1925: The Gold Rush and The Phantom of the Opera. Charlie Chaplin's timeless tale of hardship and resilience in The Gold Rush retains its charm and emotional pull even today, while The Phantom of the Opera showcases the enduring impact of gothic horror and the power of cinematic storytelling without dialogue. From West Africa, Ousmane Sembène's The Money Order (Mandabi) presents a critique of postcolonial bureaucracy and holds historical significance as the first film made in the Wolof language. The programme then shifts to the mid-20th century with Rebel Without a Cause, in which James Dean gives voice to the angst and alienation of postwar youth, a theme that finds a modern echo in La Haine, set in the politically charged streets of 1990s France. Both films explore the frustration of young people unheard by society. Themes of identity, belonging and expression run deeply through the programme. Dead Poets Society celebrates the transformative power of language and mentorship, while Edward Scissorhands tells a poetic tale of difference and acceptance through the lens of a gentle outsider. Similarly, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset explore the intimacy of fleeting connections and the weight of time through two deeply personal encounters, while Memento dives into fractured memory and identity in a gripping psychological narrative. The season also showcases films of epic scale and emotional depth. Braveheart captures the spirit of resistance and sacrifice in a tale of freedom and heroism, while Batman Begins redefines the superhero genre through a darker, psychologically rich portrayal of trauma and transformation. Rounding out the programme is Wes Anderson's visually lush The Grand Budapest Hotel, a bittersweet exploration of friendship and loss, and Undine, a lyrical, contemporary myth where love and water intertwine in a quiet meditation on longing. Through this diverse lineup, Cinema Akil's Summer of Classics invites audiences to reconnect with some of the most enduring works in cinema. These films, drawn from across genres, cultures and eras, not only entertain but continue to challenge, inspire, and comfort, offering timeless reflections on what it means to be human.
