A new film exploring claims that silent screen legend Charlie Chaplin was born in a Midland park has received its UK premiere in Birmingham. Chaplin: Spirit of the Tramp is a documentary by Chaplin's granddaughter Carmen that delves into his early life.
The production was sparked by the discovery of a letter from a family friend, which Chaplin kept locked away among his private papers. It contained the bombshell claim that the star was born not in the East End of London but in a gypsy caravan in Black Patch Park, Smethwick.
Premiere at Flatpack Festival
The documentary had its first British showing at Birmingham's Flatpack Festival at Odeon Broadway Plaza on Friday, May 8. The festival said: "So begins a journey of discovery by Chaplin’s son Michael as he looks to explore how roots in Romany culture shaped the director’s comedy and his sensibility. With contributions from a number of other family members it’s also a candid reflection on the oddness of growing up as a Chaplin, with a father who had made the journey from abject poverty to become the most famous man in the world."
Given that the Midlands was the catalyst for the film, the festival added: "This premiere is a homecoming event and we are delighted to welcome Carmen Chaplin to the city for the first UK screening of Spirit of the Tramp."
Historical Claims
The suggestion that Chaplin hailed from the Midlands will be no surprise to anyone who has followed BirminghamLive's coverage over the years. His link with the park emerged in 1991 after his daughter Victoria found a letter in his desk. Written by a man named Jack Hill from Tamworth, the note called Chaplin a "little liar" for claiming in his autobiography that he was born in London in 1889.
In 2015, Chaplin's eldest son Michael unveiled a memorial to Romany Gypsies at Black Patch Park after evidence pointed to the screen legend being born in the camp. He praised the granite monument and the community’s overlooked contribution to the world, as cameras followed him in the park.
Ted Rudge, chairman of the Birmingham Romany Memorial Review, said in 2017: "Though there’s no absolute proof, the years have not knocked down the theory that Michael’s father was born in the camp and he wants to come back and visit the memorials and wander round and talk to people. The feeling that Charlie Chaplin was born in the camp has only grown stronger over the years and Michael wants to keep that connection with the ancestral home of many Romany Gypsies."
