Extract one : A london Boyhood The Early life of Charlie chaplin Born from his turbulent childhood,, The Kid shows some of the loneliness and desperation Chaplin must have felt, at this difficult time in his life. Coping in London as two young boys, with no parents and little guidance, must have been terrifying. Despite all this Charlie was a resilient and plucky child, who remained determined and lively even given all the hardships he faced. The workhouses were harsh places, effectively a prison for the poor. By the age of nine Charlie had been sent to a workhouse twice. Charlie and his stepbrothers George and Sydney had to fend for themselves from an early age, and all had to suffer the hardships of workhouses when Hannah could not take care of them. Accepting this was incredibly difficult for Charlie, who often tried to be by her side as much as he could until her death in 1928. His mother Hannah, suffered with mental illness most likely brought on by syphilis. His parents married, but separated when Charlie was small. The temptations of the music halls meant both Charlie’s parents were distracted and often unable to take care of him. Both his parents were music hall entertainers, but sadly never achieved fame. He was born in 1889 to Hannah Chaplin and Charles Chaplin, Senior. Chaplin’s childhoodįor those who have never delved into the history of silent comedy, Chaplin’s life started with great upheaval. We’ll be serialising parts from David Robinson’s biography of Chaplin, which looks in greater depth than ever before at Chaplin’s humble beginnings and the events in his life that motivated his work.

Patron and filmhistorian, David Robinson, is a renowned film critic and scholar, whose books Hollywood in the Twenties (1968), The History of World Cinema (1973) and official biographies of both Buster Keaton and Charles Chaplin have been critically acclaimed.

As a special treat, we’ve got our hands on extracts from David Robinson’s biography of Chaplin. In honour of this year’s screening over the coming weeks we’ll be looking at the heartache that inspired this beloved classic. Many of Chaplin’s admirers regard The Kid as his most beautiful and most personal film.

This year Slapstick Festival’s Comedy Gala returns bigger and better than ever with a spotlight on the 1921 Chaplin masterpiece the Kid. Charlie Chaplin – Early Life Exclusive extract from David Robinson’s new biography

The autobiography of charlie chaplin