Dan Kamin’s new book on Charlie Chaplin!
Dan Kamin, a clown, mime, and expert performer (who taught Robert Downey Jr how to be Charlie Chaplin for the movie Chaplin, and taught Johnny Dep how to be Buster Keaton for the movie Bennie and Joon) is an expert on Chaplin. His previous book on Chaplin is now out of print, very hard to find, and quite good. So I’m happy to announce that Dan has a forthcoming book on Chaplin.
Here are the details!
FORTHCOMING
The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin
Artistry in Motion
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DESCRIPTION
From his early shorts in the 1910s thru his final film in 1967, Charlie Chaplin delighted audiences in the millions. Chaplin’s genius embraced many arts-mime, dance, acting, music, writing, and directing. In The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin: Artistry in Motion, Dan Kamin examines Chaplin’s fusion of these arts in his films, providing new understanding of how movement communicates, how comedy routines are structured, and how stage skills can be translated to the screen.
An acclaimed comic performing artist himself, Kamin brings a unique insider’s perspective to the subject. In the book’s first section, he recounts Chaplin’s theatrical background, examines how and why he moves the way he does on the screen, and considers how Chaplin adapted his stage technique to the film medium. The book also explains how Chaplin’s physical virtuosity led him to create the timeless visual comedy that brought silent films to their peak. Analyzing the principles behind his gags, Kamin also discusses the evolution of Chaplin’s character and his unparalleled achievement in conjuring comedy from the fundamental physical laws of movement.
Chaplin’s dilemma as a silent comedian in the sound era is also explored. Never repeating himself, each of his sound films represents a different experiment in which he integrated antithetical elements-sound and movement, and verbal and visual comedy. Considering these films individually reveals the sometimes surprising ways that Chaplin remained true to his silent roots, at the same time that he kept reinventing himself to keep his art viable.
Delving into the intricacies of Chaplin’s incredibly sophisticated visual comedy, Kamin offers new insights into how Chaplin achieved his legendary rapport with audiences, and demonstrates why comedy created nearly a century ago is still fresh today. Lavishly illustrated with fascinating historical artifacts and many never-before-published images of the comedian, The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin provides the only in-depth analysis of Chaplin as a movement artist and physical comedian. Revealing the inner workings of Chaplin’s mesmerizing art, this book will appeal not just to Chaplin fans, but to anyone who loves comedy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Kamin performs comedy shows worldwide and is a frequent guest artist with symphony orchestras. He created the physical comedy sequences for the films Chaplin and Benny and Joon, and trained Robert Downey, Jr. and Johnny Depp for their acclaimed performances.
Find out more about Dan Kamin at his website listed below:
http://www.dankamin.com