Up close with Charlie Chaplin in Switzerland
Nothing is permanent in this wide world, not even our troubles.” Somehow, this quote by Charlie Chaplin became my beacon in the early ‘90s when I was pursuing my master’s in Film Production at Boston University.
I took up a Silent Comedy subject where I learned about the life and works of Charlie Chaplin — actor, screenwriter, director, film producer and the famous Tramp of the silver screen. (Chaplin earned the nickname “The Tramp” because “he was a bundle of contradictions — his jacket is buttoned too tightly, the trousers are too baggy, the bowler hat too small, the size 14 shoes much too big as well as being worn on the wrong feet.” And did you know he was a songwriter as well? He co-wrote the song Smile.)
When the semester was over, I still had a hankering for everything Chaplin. I took to heart many of his quotes like “We think too much and feel too little.” and “Life could be wonderful if people would leave us alone.” I bought books about him where I learned that though he produced his myriad of films in the US, he lived in grand fashion in lavish Manoir de Ban in Vevey, Switzerland for 25 years with his family. Since then, I had imagined a museum dedicated to Charlie Chaplin. I had to go there.
Today, decades after his death, his estate in Vevey has become a famous tourist attraction. There is a museum that is actually an ode to The Tramp. Nestled between Lake Geneva and the surrounding Swiss Alps in the canton of Vaud, the Chaplin’s World by Grévin is a fun museum dedicated to Charlie Chaplin, the man and the artist. Designed by Philippe Meylan and Yves Durand, with support from Genii capital, and stage design by the Confino Agency, it provides entertainment and culture for the general public.
It’s also a cult place for film lovers and Chaplin fans. The great man’s sense of humor and emotion, which won the hearts of audiences worldwide, is displayed over 3,000 sqm. of themed trails at the Manoir de Ban — Chaplin’s home for 25 years and his Hollywood style studio.
My best friend Bum Tenorio and I had the opportunity to visit Vevey recently and experience the life and works of Charlie Chaplin. Journalists from more than 30 countries have already visited the museum and media response to its opening has shone a clear spotlight on the region. There is a phenomenal enthusiasm for the Charlie Chaplin museum that opened on April 16, 2016, which was Chaplin’s 127th birth anniversary. Chaplin’s World by Grévin really helps promote Vevey and the region as a destination on an international scale, contributing to a seven percent increase in overnight stays on the Montreux Riviera in 2016, according to Christoph Sturny, head of Montreux-Vevey Tourism.
A few months after it opened, Chaplin’s World by Grévin was honored to receive the Swiss Tourism Award of Excellence in Bern and the British Guild of travel writers award in London. It was also nominated for a Swiss MICE award in Zurich in the “Events - Unusual Sites” category.
In Vevey, a statue of Chaplin by the Geneva Lake is erected to commemorate the 25 years he spent in this picturesque place. Vevey is said to be one of the “Pearls of the Swiss Riviera.” Its lakeside location with breathtaking views of the Alpine panorama, its extraordinarily mild climate, the vineyards, numerous excursion destinations in the region and proud paddlewheel steamers on the lake characterize this town. Vevey is part of the French-speaking area of Switzerland. Many Swiss people think of two things when Vevey is mentioned: one, it is the headquarters of food giant company Nestle; and two, it is noted for being the final home of comedy legend Charlie Chaplin and his family from 1952 to 1977.
A year has passed since the opening of Chaplin’s World by Grévin. The museum dedicated to the life and work of Charlie Chaplin has found its audience and become a celebrated museum in Switzerland.
There is a wealth of information in this museum about the famous silent film legend. You will enjoy funny and fabulous movie clips, and impressive wax statues of The Tramp that look so real. An entire day in the studio viewing the showcases can be enjoyed here. One will feel transported to the place where the Chaplins lived.
The house where Chaplin lived with his wife Oona and their eight children is so beautifully decorated, you could imagine they still live there. The view from the windows leads to a well-manicured garden all the way to the Swiss Alps. I really recommend this excellent museum.
The idea for an ambitious, large-scale museum dedicated to Chaplin and his life’s work came about in the year 2000, when Swiss architect Philippe Meylan and Quebecois curator, film buff and Chaplin aficionado Yves Durand first met. The project was brought to life by a dedicated group, made up of business people, artists and key local players, as well as teams of architects, engineers and designers, working together with the Chaplin Foundation. More than 30 wax figures created by Grévin decorate Chaplin’s World.
The studio exhibition, separate from the house, is a must for your visit, and shows Chaplin’s cinematic life through film and amazing exhibits, which are quite spectacular. Don’t miss out on this.
The manor where the Chaplins lived for 25 years is a repository of happy memories and mementos. It’s now a museum that breathes interesting stories. But how Charlie Chaplin, born in London, made a career in Hollywood before ending up in Switzerland is an interesting tale.
Charles Spencer Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889 in London. He became a stage actor at the age of nine. When he was 14 years old, he signed a one-year contract with the Keystone Company in Hollywood for a weekly salary of $150. The following year, he joined the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company in Chicago where he earned a weekly salary of $1,250, plus a starting bonus of $10,000 in exchange for making 14 two-reel films.
Chaplin signed with the Mutual Film Corporation in 1916 to make 12 two-reel films for a weekly salary of $10,000. He also got a starting bonus of $150,000 and a production studio (Lone Star Studio) dedicated exclusively to his work.
In 1917, the Tramp signed a million-dollar contract with the First National Exhibitor’s Circuit and became his own producer. In the autumn of the same year, he built the Chaplin Studios in Los Angeles where he would make all his films from A Dog’s Life in 1918 to Limelight in 1952.
Outside the kliegs, Chaplin was also an opinionated man. In 1942, he made several speeches where he openly lent his support to opening up a second front to help Russia in its war against Germany. He was so vocal that in 1947, American Congressman John Rankin accused Chaplin of communist sympathies and demanded his deportation. Chaplin remained vocal of his stand and, of course, he became unpopular among many American congressmen.
In September 1952, Chaplin and his family left New York on the Queen Elizabeth to attend the London premiere of his movie Limelight. Two days later, while still on the sea, he learned that his return visa to the US had been revoked.
Shortly after the premiere in London, the Chaplins moved to the Manoir de Ban in Corsier-sur-Vevey. It would be his home for the last 25 years of his life. He so enjoyed his life in his manor in Vevey that he once quipped: “With such happiness, I sometimes sit out on our terrace at sunset and look over a vast green lawn to the lake in the distance, and beyond the lake to the reassuring mountains, and in this mood think of nothing but enjoy their magnificent serenity.”
In 1972, he returned to the US to a thunderous welcome to attend a screening of The Kid (1921) at the Lincoln Center in New York. After the premiere, he went to Los Angeles to receive an Oscar for “the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century.”
And while the whole world was joyfully singing Christmas carols on Dec. 25, 1977, Charlie Chaplin breathed his last in his sleep at the Manoir de Ban, his wife Oona beside him.
His life story is well chronicled at the Chaplin’s World by Grévin. Every turn in every nook of the museum reveals The Tramp’s joy and his profoundness.
Let me end this with a classic quote by Chaplin that is written on a postcard I bought at the museum: “You’ll never find rainbows if you’re looking down.”
Discover joy at the Chaplin’s World by Grévin in Vevey, Switzerland. Happiness is waiting for you there.
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For more information, visit www.chaplinsworld.com.
E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.com.
