Happy birthday, Sophia (September 20th, 1934)

"Working with Chaplin was an unforgettable experience. He was a meticulous filmmaker, fussing over even the smallest details. He could spend hours on just one scene, suggesting intonations, gestures, and, most importantly, moods, using the most remarkable images to evoke them. But it was when he stopped explaining and started acting that the world suddenly changed. Those were the moments when he forgot he was the director and he would leap around like a ham actor, despite his age. And you would find the Little Tramp right there in front of you. It energized you, but could also inhibit you. We all knew that he was one of a kind, and that everything started and ended with him." --Sophia Loren, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: My Life, 2014

Charlie cuts a rug with Geraldine at the premiere party for A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG, January 1967

Chaplin getting into costume for his cameo appearance as a seasick steward in his last film A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG (1967)

Charlie's JFK Connection

In the early stages of the screenplay for A Countess From Hong Kong, the character of Ogden Mears, played by Marlon Brando, was loosely based on President John F. Kennedy (in the original story, Mears was planning to run for president.) After Kennedy was assassinated, however, Chaplin revised the story because he didn’t want to offend the Kennedy family, especially Mrs. Kennedy.

Charlie with Marlon Brando on the set of A Countess From Hong Kong

Several years after Countess was released, producer and Chaplin family friend, Jerry Epstein, met Pierre Salinger, Kennedy’s press secretary. Epstein recalled their conversation in his book, Remembering Charlie:

"He said that Kennedy had planned to do something about Chaplin’s exile. Salinger was supposed to visit him and invite him back to the United States. But of course in the meantime Kennedy had been killed. Salinger also mentioned that he’d seen A Countess From Hong Kong. ‘I know who that picture was based on’ he told me. ‘Mr. Chaplin captured it very accurately.' So I guess we didn’t disguise the Kennedy aspect too well."

Ten-year-old Melanie Griffith on the set of A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG (1967)

Melanie's mom, Tippi Hedron, played Martha Mears, wife of Ogden Mears (Marlon Brando) in the film.

Melanie is reading The Films Of Charlie Chaplin by Gerald McDonald

Charlie celebrating his 77th birthday on the set of A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG

Photos from the London premiere of Chaplin's final film, A Countess From Hong Kong, January 5th, 1967

Sophia Loren was pregnant & unable to attend.

With Sophia Loren on the set of A Countess From Hong Kong

With Margaret Rutherford on the set of A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG

Margaret had a cameo role as the seasick elderly woman, Miss Gaulswallow. It was producer Jerry Epstein who recommended Rutherford for the role but Charlie was hesitant and accused Epstein of only wanting "stars." But Epstein thought Rutherford would be perfect. Charlie finally gave in and agreed to meet with her: 

Charlie, at his most charming, greeted her with open arms. "How nice of you to come. Would you consider playing such a small part for me? It would be such a privilege to have you." Rutherford was completely bowled over: 'It would be a privilege for me to work with you," she said.

.... 

It was now time to shoot Margaret Rutherford's scene. Charlie was embarrassed that her part as a seasick passenger was so small, so he improvised more business. He placed a multitude of colored ribbons on her bed, and every time she looked at the yellow or green ribbons, she'd feel faint and want to retch. She was so funny, she had the whole crew laughing. Poor thing, she was ill at the time, and was delighted that the scene required her to be in bed. 

Oona was always present when we ran Margaret Rutherford's rushes. No matter how often she saw them, she always laughed hysterically. The scene brought the house down in the movie theaters too. And Charlie was most pleased. 

(Photo and excerpt from Remembering Charlie by Jerry Epstein)


You can watch Margaret's scene here:

http://youtu.be/SiD_12kkn4s?t=13m51s

...and here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhjn50CxzEs

You can also watch the entire film on youtube. It's not Charlie's best by any stretch but it's worth viewing, if anything, for the music (composed by Charlie), Patrick Cargill (who is great as Hudson), and to see Charlie's brief cameo as a seasick steward.

Extra note: At the beginning of Miss Gaulswallow's scene, she tells the nurse to take the flowers out of the room because they "take up all the oxygen." Evidently Charlie himself felt the same way about flowers, according to his son, Charlie, Jr. Although he loved them, Charlie never wanted them in his bedroom because he felt they absorbed oxygen.

Directing A Countess From Hong Kong

Directing Sophia Loren in A Countess From Hong Kong

The setting for this scene is supposed to be Hawaii but it's actually an alleyway at Pinewood Studios in England.  In the background are Charlie's kids Jane, Christopher & Sydney (far right).

A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG (1967)

Marlon Brando & Sophia Loren in a scene from A Countess From Hong Kong

The first time I saw this film, I expected it to be awful because everything I had ever read about it said so. But I was surprised. Sure, it’s not Chaplin’s best by a long shot, but it wasn’t terrible. I think it would have been a better film had he made it in the 1930s, as he had originally intended, with Paulette Goddard and Gary Cooper in the leading roles. However, Sophia Loren did a wonderful job—she took Chaplin’s direction well and was able to be funny in some scenes and moving in others (I found her character at times to be very Tramp-like). Marlon Brando, on the other hand, seemed stiff and uncomfortable. I’m sure due to the fact that he disliked Chaplin’s directing methods. But it was fun to see him jumping around the room, obviously mimicking Chaplin’s every move.

Charlie directs his daughter Geraldine and Marlon Brando in a dance scene. His son Sydney and daughters Josephine and Victoria also appear in the film.

It was strange to see a Chaplin film in color. The beauty of black-and-white may have added something to this film. However, it’s quite impressive that during Chaplin’s long career he went from silents to talkies to technicolor.
Chaplin has a very brief cameo in the film as a seasick butler. For a fan, it’s a bittersweet moment because it’s the last time our hero ever appears on screen.

Charlie's cameo

Despite its flaws, Countess has some very funny scenes and the music is some of Chaplin’s best. I have read that the failure of this film affected him deeply and he never quite recovered from it. Were the critics expecting another City Lights?  They should have given the old man a break. It was the last film of his career, and I believe it deserves some respect.

Behind the camera for the last time

Charlie & Sophia Loren at a press conference for "A Countess From Hong Kong", November 1965.

After Sophia was offered the role in the film, Chaplin showed up at her home with flowers and the script. As was usual, Chaplin acted out every part for her; she was “captivated”, and would have played the role “if what he was reading were the London telephone directory”.