(9/18/2017)
Among the films to be screened at the 11thBALINALE – Bali International Film Festival September 26-30, 2017, is a documentary relating a visit to Bali in 1932 by Hollywood legend Charlie Chaplin.
The film, to be screened at the Festival’s opening, covers a period during which the leading screen idol of his day came to Bali to overcome a creative drought.
As reported by Balipost.com, Chaplin came to Bali after touring Europe to promote his latest film “City Lights.” Instead of returning to Hollywood after the promotional tour, Chaplin, concerned that “talkies” or films with pre-recorded sound would end his career, embarked on an extended tour to Australia and Asia.
The screening of “Chaplin in Bali” will take place on September 24th at the Cinemaxx Theatre, Lippo Mall Kuta. The documentary was edited by French filmmaker Raphael Millet and produced by Nocturnes Productions (France), Man’s Film Productions (Belgium) dan Phish Communications (Singapore) with support from the Chaplin Foundation.
The film provides a priceless record of Chaplin’s visit to Bali and his interactions with the artists, musicians and the general population of the Island. Reports from the time suggest Chaplin failed to gain a good impression of the colonial system in operation in Java and Bali and purportedly helped form his larger political views thereafter.
Apparently, the trip to Bali helped Chaplin overcome his fear of movies with sound. In fact, his next film “Modern Times” even included segments of Chaplin singing before the cameras.
At the end of the Bali premiere of “Chaplin in Bali,” a tribute will be paid to the comedian via a special performance of a Legong Kupu Kupu Dance – the same dance witnessed by the film star during his visit to Bali in the 1930s.
The BALINALE performance will be choreographed by Bulantrisna Djelantik and danced by Ni Wayan Phia Widari Eka Tana. The music accompanying the film is the gamelan accompaniment from the dance.
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Originally posted on September 25, 2017 @ 10:20 am