Filmed in 1918, “Dog’s Life” can certainly be considered as one of Charlie Chaplin’s absolute masterpieces. Here his art reaches the pinnacle of an incomparable career. That year, Chaplin, following the contract with First National, was given the freedom to write and produce whatever he really wanted, and so he decided to depict the poverty in the slums of America’s cities, expressing his natural dislike for the repressive authority that police officers represented for the poor. Anticipating what would become the Great Depression, which arrived years later, Chaplin introduced us to poor people, and also portrayed the dignity that every man deserves in the face of the entire world. The stray pup “Scrap” would become, for the actor, a remarkable companion on set, with whom he created amazing gags that made this touching short film a timeless masterpiece.
After the success of the first two statuettes dedicated to Charlie Chaplin, we wanted to explore his world once again, evoking the atmosphere of his film-making style. “Dog’s Life” brings together all the expressive brilliance of which Chaplin was capable using even the simplest things, and the duo with the stray pup is a true triumph of beauty. We have created the “street” feel typical of his films, and at the same time the sweet appeal of two companions of misadventure, destined to become inseparable. The addition of the streetlamp which actually lights up makes this creation a true piece of art, with a wealth of personality and dreams, to a degree that is possible only with the greatest cinema. Today it is sufficient to “turn on” Charlie Chaplin’s cinematographic genius, and plunge into the magical world brought to us by a great artist, in a dimension that he alone was capable of achieving.
Sculpt : Dimitrji Leppée
Coloration : Dario Barbera
Art Direction: Fabio Berruti
