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Hardcover | Paperback

Hardcover | Paperback

 
From the dust jacket of the 1984 edition:

"If Chaplin enthralled millions of people the world over who laughed and cried at his pantomimes, it is because there was a secret to his art (which) Dan Kamin reveals . . . ."
—from the Foreword by Marcel Marceau

Here at last is a book which explains in depth the art of cinema's most luminous figure.  Charlie Chaplin's One-Man Show is a penetrating analysis of the masterpieces which have cast their spell over generation after generation of moviegoers.

For the first time a professional mime gives an insider's view of Chaplin's craft, demonstrating how Chaplin transformed his genius at stage mime into a staggering cinematic achievement.

Kamin shows how Chaplin's physical virtuosity led him to create the hilarious comedy which brought silent films to their peak. He examines Chaplin's later films, which integrate mime and verbal comedy in a manner which has never been rivaled, and reveals Chaplin's methods for attaining the clarity and immediacy which have made his films timeless. The world of Charlie Chaplin has never been more vividly depicted.

But Charlie Chaplin's One-Man Show offers more than an analysis of cinema's greatest figure. Chaplin's genius embraced many arts — mime, dance, acting, music, writing and directing. By examining Chaplin's fusion of these arts in his films, Kamin provides new understanding of how movement communicates, how comedy routines are structured, and how stage skills can be translated to the screen. Charlie Chaplin's One-Man Show is a fascinating excursion for anyone interested in the performing arts.

Illustrated with over 160 rare photographs, most of which have never before been published.
 

Dan Kamin is one of the country's most popular mime artists. He began his performing career at age twelve, as a magician. His magic career peaked when he was a losing contestant, at age fifteen, on the "Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour."

Kamin's art studies at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh were interrupted when he saw Chaplin's films, which inspired him to begin his mime career. His world touring since 1970 has contributed to the current popularity of mankind's oldest art, and Kamin remains in demand at theatres and college campuses with his one-man shows.

In writing Charlie Chaplin's One-Man Show Kamin brings to bear his deep understanding of the crafts of mime and comedy, and his long study of Chaplin's films.

Description and cover art © Scarecrow Press.  Used by permission.