#born to be a stand up comedian forced to be a soldier or whatever the fuck

[stolligaseptember]

pei ming is genuinely a hilarious bitch, i don't know what else to tell you

[impressivepress]

The Great Dictator

Ironically, one of the most beloved men in history was born within four days of one of the most despised—and that the demon, Adolf Hitler, so strongly resembled the clown, Charles Chaplin.

Some claim that Hitler deliberately chose his mustache toresemble Chaplin’s, who had enjoyed thelove and respect of audiences around theworld. Contemporary journalists and car-toonists delighted in pointing out the simi-larity in appearance between the two men.A song about Hitler, published in Britain in1938, asked the question, “Who is this Man? (Who Looks like Charlie Chaplin).”

How could Chaplin, who had reached theapogee of his popularity and influence,avoid the role that fate seemingly had thrust upon him? In many ways, the creation of “The Great Dictator” (1940) was virtually inevitable. Over a decade after the rest of the film industry had accepted talking pictures, the great-est star of the silent-film era began his first full-dialogue film. His subject was Adolf Hitler and his theme, the dangerous rise of European fascism. Despite death threats once his project was announced, Chaplin forged ahead with his satire. In his 1964 auto-biography, Chaplin admitted, “Had I known the actual horrors of the German concentration camps, I couldnot have made “The Great Dictator;” I could not have made fun of the homicidal insanity of the Nazis.

”The Great Dictator is a tale of two worlds: the palace,where dictator Adenoid Hynkel rules, and the ghetto,where a Jewish barber struggles to make a living andsurvive. The comedic device of the film is the resem-blance between the Dictator and the Barber, who islater mistaken for the Dictator. The theme of the sto-ry, at its basic level, is the struggle between goodand evil, reflected in the balance between the twoworlds.

The film begins with this title: “This is a story of a pe-riod between two World Wars—an interim in whichInsanity cut loose, Liberty took a nose dive, andHumanity was kicked around somewhat.” It is fol-lowed by a prologue, set in World War I, in which theJewish Barber fights as a patriotic, although ineffec-tive, Tomanian soldier. This sequence, reminiscentof Chaplin’s World War I comedy “ShoulderArms” (1918), contains elements of nightmarish vio-lence as well as humor, a combination that occursoften in the film. The Barber must fire the enormousBig Bertha gun, is pursued by a defective gun shell,loses a hand grenade in his uniform, accidentallymarches with the enemy, and later finds himself up-side down in an airplane. The prologue reminds theaudience of the malevolence of machines, the horrorof war, and the senselessness of destruction. Withinthis framework, the stories of the Barber and Hynkelin their two moral universes, represented by the good“People of the Ghetto” and the evil “People of thePalace” are regularly intercut. The film concludeswith an epilogue set after the start of the war inEurope, soon to be called World War II. It shows theBarber, mistaken for Hynkel, forced to address amassed rally. The final speech, however, is not givenby the Barber character but by Chaplin himself, whopleads for peace, tolerance, and understanding.

The greatest moment of Chaplin’s satire on Hitlerand the rise of dictators is the scene in which Hynkelperforms a dance with a globe of the world. This sce-ne, which stands with the very best set pieces ofChaplin’s silent films, requires no words to convey itsmessage. Accompanied by the delicate, dreamy prel-ude to Act I of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” (Hitler’s favorite Wagnerian opera), Hynkel performs a graceful, se-ductive ballet with a balloon globe, a wonderful sym-bol of his maniacal dream of possessing the world forhis pleasure. Yet when he believes he has it withinhis grasp, the bubble literally bursts. This is Chaplin’ssymbolic comment on the futility of the dictator’s aspirations and reflects his optimistic belief that dicta-tors will never succeed.

Probably the most famous sequence of “The GreatDictator” is the five-minute speech that concludesthe film. Here Chaplin drops his comic mask andspeaks directly to the world, conveying his view thatpeople must rise up against dictators and unite inpeace. The most enduring aspects of the finalspeech are its aspirational quality and tone and itsunderlying faith in humanity. Chaplin sketches ahopeful future in broad strokes and leaves the imple-mentation of his vision to others, despite the fact that the more unsavory aspects of human nature mayprevent mankind ever reaching his promised utopia.Although some may find Chaplin’s message cliché,and even frustrating, one cannot help but be movedby the prescience of his words and the appeal of hispowerful indictment of all who seek to take powerunto themselves to the detriment of everyone else.The final speech of “The Great Dictator” remains rel-evant and valuable in the twenty-first century andlikely will remain so as long as conflict corrupts hu-man interaction and despots endure.

With the exception of “Gone With the Wind” (1939),no other film of the period was met with such antici-pation as “The Great Dictator.” The contemporarypress was generally favorable toward the film follow-ing the world premiere in New York City at two Broadway theaters—the Capitol Theatre and Astor Theatre—simultaneously on October 15, 1940. Alt-hough Bosley Crowther, film critic for the ”New YorkTimes,” thought the film too long and somewhat rep-etitious, he nevertheless wrote a very strong reviewnoting it to be “…a truly superb accomplishment by atruly great artist—and, from one point of view, per-haps the most significant film ever produced.”

“The Great Dictator” cost $1,403,526 making it oneof Chaplin’s most expensive films. It was an enor-mous gamble, as the film did not have the interna-tional distribution his silent films had enjoyed. Thefilm was banned throughout occupied Europe, inparts of South America, and in the Irish Free State.Nevertheless, “The Great Dictator” becameChaplin’s most profitable film up to that time earning $5 million dollars worldwide in its original release.

Despite being firmly fixed in the time in which it wasmade, “The Great Dictator” continues to have tre-mendous impact and hold on audiences. The filmwas reissued by United Artists in 1958, the year it was first seen in Germany and Italy, and was first shown in Spain in 1976. Critical opinion of the film, particularly of the final speech, has risen greatly inthe estimation of critics, historians, and audiencessince that time. In 1989, the centenary of Chaplin’s birth, “The Great Dictator” opened the Moscow Inter-national Film Festival, the first vintage film so hon-ored. In 2002, “The Great Dictator” was hailed as amasterpiece, closing the Berlin Film Festival only afew hundred yards from where Hitler committed sui-cide in his bunker.

Adolf Hitler was disturbed when he heard Chaplinwas at work on “The Great Dictator,” and there isevidence that Hitler actually saw the film. Accordingto an agent who fled Germany after working in thefilm division of the Nazi Ministry of Culture, Nazi au-thorities procured a print and Hitler screened the filmone evening in solitude. The following evening heagain watched the film all by himself. That is all theagent could tell Chaplin. In relaying the anecdote,Chaplin said, “I’d give anything to know what hethought of it.” Whatever Hitler thought of Chaplin’s“The Great Dictator,” the film survives as cinema’s supreme satire and one of Chaplin’s most importantand enduring works.

~

Essay by Jeffrey Vance, adapted from his book Chaplin:Genius of the Cinema (New York: Harry N. Abrams,2003). Jeffrey Vance is a film historian, archivist, and au-thor of the books Douglas Fairbanks, Chaplin: Genius ofthe Cinema, Harold Lloyd: Master Comedian, and Buster Keaton Remembered (with Eleanor Keaton). He is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities of Charles Chaplin.The views expressed in these essays are those of the author and do notnecessarily represent the views of the Library of Congress.

[snowwhore]

Smile My Boy; It’s Sunrise

Success is a fickle concept; one objective, and arguably indefinable. And yet, everything in American culture must always be defined- something which Google eagerly spews out. When typing, ‘success, define,’ into a simple Google search; three options will appear. “The accomplishment of an aim or purpose,” “the attainment of popularity or profit,” and “a person or thing that achieves desired aims, or attains prosperity.” Under each definition, synonyms and examples are given, most of which pertain to theatrical success. It seems that to be successful, one must gain fame and wealth. Which is so incredibly, extraordinarily, entirely, stupid. Materialistic, and disappointing.

Why can’t success be something far more meaningful? Something that impacts other people: Inspiration. One can set out without a purpose, yet find one along their path of life, and wind up with one, whether it was their aim to accomplish this purpose in the first place Success isn’t an achieve or fail idea; it’s something so very simple, if only one can step back from their own worlds for long enough to notice the other people sharing the earth.

A man once said; “A doctor’s mission should be not just to prevent death but also to improve the quality of life. That’s why, you treat a disease, you win you lose, you treat a person, I guarantee you win no matter what the outcome.” Success can be treated the same way as practicing medicine; there are far more apparent outcomes of ‘success,’ but there are so many success stories overlooked. So many doctors who couldn’t find a miracle cure, but provided their patients with a miraculous life. Success is a disease, but also a cure. The man who stated the quote, by all standards, fits whatever definition of success. The man realized that it takes looking outside the box, thinking outside the Google definitions, and just a little spark of madness to reach success. The man was Robin Williams.

          Williams was born in Chicago, July 21, 1951, to Laura McLaurin and Robert Williams. According to Lifetime’s, “Robin Williams,” article, his mother had been a small-time model, who even when moved to Illinois, was said to keep her California-esque heart, (something Williams clearly stayed influenced by) extended by Genie’s “Laura McLaurin” article, described by Williams himself and others as a “captivating,” story teller, one who loved to laugh, and had a quick wit, something which Robin seemed to develop. Williams’ father, on the other hand, was an executive at for the Ford Motor Company, and a man that Williams described during his winning speech at the Oscar’s as having said, “[in regards to Williams’ desire to be an actor] ‘Wonderful, just have a backup profession like welding.’” Still, he dedicated the win to his late father, clarifying they had a good relationship. (As it turns out, he later expressed on the Graham Norton show that he forgot to thank his mother, something which she didn’t let him down for years to come.) (Source) supports this, with Williams stating, “My dad was a sweet man, but not an easy laugh.” As it turns out, his father’s laughter was the inspiring factor behind Williams’ desire to be a comedian. Hearing his father heartily laughing, at a man on the TV who became in that moment, Williams’ mentor (later corrected as ‘idol’); Jonathan Winters. The influence is more than apparent, sharing the same knack for goofy characters, voices, and wit, as Williams’ would be the first to admit. Between these (sources,) it seems apparent Williams’ comedic nature and clever timing first comes from his mother, and was lucky enough to have financially wealthy parents who were encouraging to let him explore his passions. But the final childhood push to explore that need to be funny, to make other’s laugh, when it came down to it, was a boy’s want of approval from his father.

The Lifetime article goes on to narrate how Williams was bullied as a young child for being overweight, and thus spent many evenings alone instead of out with friends, until later joining track and wrestling, wiping off the weight. Instead of getting back at his tormentors, however, Williams realized he had a knack for being funny, and could use his comedic nature to gain respect from his fellow classmates. The isolation at such a young age lead Williams to need to become more imaginative; in order to keep himself entertained. (Source) confirms that play is one of the upmost important factors a child has in developing, and Williams was forced to be especially creative. Once a bit older, Williams was already adopting his mother’s humor as a guard for himself, and making the realization that if he made fun of himself first, no one else could.

Williams originally went to college for political science, while playing soccer, during which he began improv classes. Realizing he had a knack, he switched schools, began focusing on theater, and soon enough had a full-ride scholarship to Julliard… Which he then dropped out of to move back to Los Angeles to focus on pursuing a career in comedy. It can be concurred that Williams’ intelligence and skills were well versed, and later used to morph him into the comedian he became, able to have a firm grasp on politics, something a frequent factor in most comedy bits, along with the agility from all the sports he took part in, giving himself the advantage of being a very physical comedian. The thought of getting a full scholarship to Julliard, only to drop out in hopes that he could make it as a stand-up comedian is, frankly, insane. But Williams’ ability to make completely outrageous and unbelievable choices was part of his charm, and who he was. No doubt Julliard helped to give him some of the more practical acting skills he later put to use in films like Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society, but dropping out of Julliard says far more about Williams than getting into it. He moved away from the safe and practical bet, instead opting for what he was passionate about, knowing perfectly well that he could ultimately fall flat on his face from the decision to pursue comedy over Julliard. However, like shown with many of his movie role choices later, that Williams decided that whether he fail or not, he was going to give it his all. A totally impractical decision, and, just like all his of completely off the wall decisions, one that gave him an edge over everyone else.

That edge was what got him his first major role, although no one knew it would be so big at the time. Williams’ landed an audition for a role on the series Happy Days, which was at the time, desperately trying to knock up ratings, by getting fresh and exciting characters. One of these characters was an alien named Mork, who would only be on for a single episode, as narrated by (Source).  According to producer Gary Marshall, “[Williams] was the only alien to audition.” That’s because, when asked to take a seat, Williams instead opted to do a headstand on the chair, validating that all the athletics he did when younger truly did help his comedic performances. Mork was a meant to be a one-time gig, but the character was so popular, he wound up getting his own spin off series, which ran for four seasons. This part, lead Williams to the obvious commercial definition of success. He had the fame, he had the fortune, and he became a successful comedic actor. But that was just the beginning.

Soon after, he landed his first major movie lead role in the live-action version of Popeye, which was a flop, and Williams later frequently joked about and expressed an endearing embarrassment over. However, it was over the course of the 80s during which Williams is credited to being the leader of the comedy renaissance in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He performed a total of five major stand up gigs throughout the time, (source) and, excludingPopeye, seven films, (Source) two in particular which skyrocketed his popularity as a film star. The first released about a decade after the Vietnam War ended, titled, Good Morning, Vietnam. Williams recalls seeing the role as two things he loved doing combined; stand up, and acting, and the character he was playing was mostly himself. However, little this role was to become his first truly successful role; for it was the first one he made that truly impacted his audiences. Williams, along with other crew members, had on numerous occasions, Vietnam War vets come up and thank them for the movie, claiming it was the first movie to be set during the war which accurately portrayed what it was like being a soldier at the time in Vietnam. Now, it can be disputed that the movie’s impact doesn’t hold up as strongly. It’s Williams’ second role that will live on in history.

Dead Poets Society. “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your live extraordinary.” It’s a phrase that lives on strong, even today. Williams’ role as Mr. Keating inspired students and teachers around the world alike, as scrolling through, (Source) makes apparent. Person after person list watching him in this role as their inspiration to become a teacher; saying things like, “Feel like I lost a mentor. Robin Williams as Mr Keating changed my path in life. Dead Poets Society led me to teaching, (Cori Marino),” “I wanted to be a journalist. Saw Dead Poets Society, changed plans and became a teacher. Good actors do change the world. (Jacqueline Prins),” and “He made you feel like it matters, that poetry matters[…] I loved the film so much that maybe on one level it is the reason I became a teacher. He understands in the film that education isn’t just one little part of your existence, it is life. It’s the same thing. It’s not just learning Wordsworth by heart, it’s about feeling it and understanding why it’s important, (Jonathan Taylor.)” The list goes on and on, the inspiration Robin Williams left with the world from that movie alone ringing out like bells. It dealt with a subject that most of America has been through; school, and the sufferings of it. The pressure of parents, teachers, the world in general, and how too much of that stress can weigh down on a student, leading them to end their lives rather than continue to struggle. Williams’ character of Mr. Keating, however, is what truly sticks with most people. Mr. Keating, like Williams was blatantly unconventional, having students rip pages from their books, he would hop on the desks, and push his students to pursue their passions over logical classes and hobbies. –The parallel between what Mr. Keating inspires his students to do, and what Williams did as a young man aren’t hard to find. In this role, Williams and the rest of the cast inspired the audience; he made them laugh, he made them cry, but most of all, he inspired them. And it wasn’t only his audiences, but his fellow cast members he inspired; Ethan Hawke validating this, stating that being on set with Williams was a “[…] It’s a high that I’ve chased my whole life since that day with Robin, of losing yourself, within a story.” Hawke credits Williams as his mentor, especially after Williams having booked him his first agent. Williams seemed to have that effect on people. Talk show host Conan O’Brien brought credits Williams as an inspiration, and a brilliant talent, remembering on his show that once when O’Brien was publicly feeling low in his career, Williams (who he didn’t know well outside the show business), bought him a bicycle, knowing O’Brien enjoyed biking. However, being Robin Williams, the bicycle was bright orange, and green, with shamrocks on it, as O’Brien is known for having bright red hair and being Irish. O’Brien narrates him conversation with Williams’ over the phone, saying Williams’ responded; “‘Does it look ridiculous? –Good. Do you look stupid riding it? –Well than that’s good then.” It was that generosity, alongside the unconventional humor, the ability to make everything funny somehow, that made Williams’ such a success, that made fans adore him, and those on sets with him crave to work with him again. Earlier in the segment, he and Andy Richter, talk about the frequent performances that Williams did with the troops; something Williams kept never spoke about, because he did it for their benefit, not the publicity. Robin Williams cared about other people, as any friend, relative, acquaintance, or even passerby on the street seem eager to express. It’s something that nobody has yet to disagree with. He succeeded in changing lives, making people happy, feel like they were special. He succeeded in trulycaring, something that’s tragically hard to come by.

Perhaps the most important lesson to be learned about Robin Williams’ atypical life story is the truth it uncovers about why and how some people are able to succeed. Robin Williams sincerely exemplifies that extraordinary success is largely influenced by nothing more than a little spark of. What defines that madness? In Williams’ own words, madness is “the only way I’ll stay alive.” (Source) Madness is learning not to take the world so seriously, to see the humor within every situation, and to act out abnormally. Say the funny little thoughts that seem too odd or obscure, and not shy away from the world for fear of humiliation. Madness is having fun.

In 1978, soon after his premiere as Mork on Happy Days, he preformed an hour long special at the Roxy, his first televised stand up production. Within the first five minutes, he was wading through the crowd, picking on the members lightheartedly, making connections. Within a moment, he had crawled up to the balcony, walking along the railing, before he was back down and going to the very back of the audience, “changing realities” by making the back of the audience the good seats, and the front the bad. Williams’, after considerable dancing around, he finally proceeded to get back to stage. The physicality of his performance was undone before; so many stand up artists simply standing on stage talking to the audience. Throughout his entire act, he crawls in and out of the audience, taking their things, poking jabs, pretending to be close friends, paying mind to everyone who filtered in and out. His gags were so quick paced; like a child with ADHD’s mind, going from himself to a character, to a bit, to an outburst, to an impression and back again. He pokes fun at white people; regardless of the fact that they’re most of his audience, and it goes over their heads. Williams brings a member of the audience on stage, makes him part of the show. He’s here, there, everywhere, not talking at the audience; he’s talking with them, making individuals feel special, connected, something so many comedians struggle with, so many people struggle with. It’s in this special, he does a bit where Williams’ pretends to be himself in 40 years, traveling back in time and giving the audience advice. Although he never makes it to that extra 40 years, Williams has one slower bit in his show, talks about reality and madness. During the bit about he reality, he questions what it really is, right before sticking his finger through one eye of his glasses, showing that there was actually no lenses in them. He follows this up moments later, telling his audience; “I’m being grotesque, but you’ve got to be, you see what I mean? You’ve got to be crazy! It’s too late to be sane, too late. You’ve got to go full tilt bozo… ‘Cause, you’re only given a little spark of madness… and if you lose that, you’re nothing […] Don’t. From me to you. Don’t ever lose that ‘cause it keeps you alive […] that’s my only love. Crazy.” The shift in the audience at this moment… Before they had been laughing continuously, not a moment of silence. Even through a screen, the sudden intensity of the moment can be felt. This was so very early in his career; and yet already Robin Williams knew what his legacy would be, what would stick with him through his life; that little spark of madness. This is the spark that inspired so many others, that left such big impacts on others lives, and such large holes in their hearts. This is the reason that so many people who never met him mourned his loss, and so many who did are let in absolute shock. When he died, social media flooded with memories of him, from Steven Spielberg, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Steve Martin, President Obama, and hundreds of other celebrities, all describing how he was their childhood, their inspirations, their idol. Everyone who worked with him personally never failed to describe how he would brighten any set, or share an intimate moment they had with him. Besides Conan, other talk show hosts expressed their mourning, like a very choked up Jimmy Fallon, who after attempting to mimic Williams’ enthusiasm, stands on his desk, and announces; “O Captain; My Captain, you will be missed!”  -The legacy of Dead Poets Society once again appearing. Seth Meyers thanked him, Nathan Lane shared his best memories, saying remembering how Williams came in on his day off to support Lane during filming on The Birdcage, saying there was “No one was kinder or more generous.” Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal, two of Robin’s closet friends in the film industry, sat down and spoke about him, and Crystal eulogized him at the Emmys’, sighting it as the most difficult situation in his life. With Goldberg, he remembers raising $70 million to help the homeless in America, calling Robin magical, and remembered being in Europe when he died, and being “astounded” by the “outpouring of love” all around the world. This madness caused part of the Genie was written for Robin, the animators knowing only his charisma could truly bring an outrageous character like the Genie to life. This madness made him the only person who could ever play a grown up Peter Pan. This madness made him a success. It made him Robin Williams.

Only someone who was a little mad would continue to make movies like Night at the Museum Three, and film shows The Crazy Ones while dealing with addiction, depression, and early stages of Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. His legacy will be remembered, whether it’s by saying, “I’ll always believe in you, Peter Pan,” “Genie, you’re free,” “You still exist,” or “O Captain; My Captain.” Or maybe it’s finding that little spark of madness. Robin Williams really did turn laughter into the best medicine. He made his success a cure.