Charlie Chaplin – The Lion Cage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0a998z_G4g
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This short film follows Charlie Chaplin at what seems to be a carnival. He accidently gets stuck in the lion’s cage, and he has to try to escape without waking it up. The short is actually very funny. He tries to let himself out, only to lock the door. He tries a different exit, that leads to a lioness cage. He also tries to stop a nearby dog from barking and waking the lion. Eventually the lion wakes up and sniffs him, only to go back and lay down. After that he feels confident about his position, and even when he has someone open the door for him, he chooses to walk over to the lion and try to pet it. The lion then roars and Charlie runs into the distance and climbs a pole to safety.
Chaplin’s use of exaggerating motions was so important in his films. He had to over-exaggerate to fill in for the dialogue, much like the acting in The Last Laugh. His facial expressions were also just as important as his physical actions. Being a film, the camera often showed close shots of his face, so his authentic emotions were visible to the audience. That being said, with the lack of technology and precautions in this time, I wonder how dangerous it actually was for him to be acting in that proximity with a lion. Also, interestingly, even though the film was under 4 minutes long, after escaping the cage, he sits next to the lady who released him for a happy ending.
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