One of the reasons I love Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp above all others is that he is romantic. Yes, he is clever, acrobatic and hysterically funny, but there is a depth to his character that was introduced through the element of romance. Before Edna Purviance (his leading lady from 1915-1923), Charlie was a true ruffian with more than just a tiny mean streak. Once he found the beautiful and gentle Edna, the stirrings of romance filled out his character and gave it a new substance and pathos.
They are the perfect Valentine's Day couple.
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| Struck by Cupid's arrow and bound for life |
Before Edna, Charlie lusted for women; after Edna he longed for them. Before Edna, he was crude; after Edna, he was a gentleman. See what the love of a good woman can do for a Little Tramp?
Once Charlie found Edna, he understood how to be a good Valentine:
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| Take your date out for a nice, romantic dinner |
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| A walk in the rain can be romantic when you're in love |
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| A fancy party will win her heart |
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Show her that you were paying attention
during "Dancing With The Stars" |
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| Serenade her with a love song |
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Take her on a boat ride and bring
Mom along for extra brownie points |
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| Fight for her honor |
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| Help around the house |
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| Never lose the ability to be distracted by her ankle |
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| Give her a puppy |
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| Rub noses like you mean it! |
Charlie and Edna were Valentines in real life, too, for a time. Their love affair did not stand the test of time, but the films that they made together are timeless. Just like true romance.
♥♥♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥♥♥
9 comments:
Very nice!
Yes, the relationship lasted for awhile, and it will always be on screen. But while Edna could calm Charlie's temper, she could never change it.
In many ways, Edna was more of a 'mommy' to Chaplin, and helped him at a time when he really needed it. But like any 'kid' he continued to 'grow-up' and didn't need 'mommy' anymore, except as a friend.
Terrific post -- and I'm what you might call a pre-Edna Charlie!
Beautiful Valentines post! I looove Charlie & Edna
He did really love her, he kept her on his studio's payroll for years after their time together:)
That is true. There are many kinds of love.
I absolutely loved this blog! I am a complete Chaplin fan but also an Edna Purviance nut.Love all his films,especially the endings but the end of The Immigrant is one of my favorites.Love the fact that the Tramp has to literally drag Edna to get married as opposed to the other way around in most other films.Very,very cute together.Cheers.
Say, I'm working on my essay about the films of 1917 and Chaplin's Mutuals will figure prominently. Would you be offended if I "borrowed" a couple of photos from here -- the two shots of Charlie and Edna in the rain are terrific and underscore that Edna brought something of her own to the table. She was a lovely, quiet counterbalance to his manic energy and thinking about his filmography, I don't think he ever had a better leading lady.
Feel free! I love Edna and always enjoy reading about her.
As promised, there's a link to this post in my post about Chaplin's Mutuals (here) -- just look for the words "fan base" and click ...
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