Legong Kupu-Kupu (Butterfly Legong) then and now

A documentary about Charlie Chaplin’s first encounter with Bali will make its world premiere and open the 11th Bali International Film Festival, also known as Balinale, on Sunday.

Chaplin in Bali, directed by French filmmaker Raphaël Millet, centers on the fascinating account of the first global movie star’s journey to the East, anchoring in Bali.

The feature documentary will make its world premiere and open the 11th Bali International Film Festival, also known as Balinale, in Kuta, Bali on Sunday.

Combining Chaplin’s own black-and-white documentary footage from 1932, with fresh shots from the contemporary Bali scene, and infused with Chaplin’s personal memoirs, travel log and additional spoken narrative, the documentary follows the artist on his long journey by ship to Bali, which ultimately injected him with the new energy he needed.

The documentary is produced by Nocturnes Productions (France), Man’s Film Productions (Belgium) and Phish Communications (Singapore). It is supported by the Chaplin Association.

Charles Spencer “Charlie” Chaplin went to Bali with his brother Sydney amid dread that his career was coming to an end as motion pictures with sound began to make a mark. He remembered his mother, who had advised him to go to the East when feeling low.

Bali helped Chaplin resolve his fear of sound, leading him to the making of the seminal Modern Times, his first sound film in which he even sings.

In a written interview recently, Millet revealed he had become interested in delving into Chaplin’s visit to Bali following enthusiastic recounts by Walter Spies, the artist he had initially researched.

“I first thought that this trip of Charlie Chaplin to Bali was just anecdotal,” he revealed when asked why he was interested in Chaplin’s visit.

“But then I found out that he had filmed scenes of daily life as well as dance scenes during his stay in Bali, so I contacted the Chaplin Foundation in Paris asking them for Chaplin’s film footage in Bali and for any documents that they may have on this trip.”

Millet was struck by the beauty and quality of the footage that Chaplin himself had made during his visit to Bali, and after reading Chaplin’s memoirs and travelogue, Millet said he understood that Bali had been far more important to the artist than even his biographers had ever grasped.

On the move: In the documentary, Chaplin emulates Balinese dance movements.

A longtime filmmaker and keen art observer, Millet understood Chaplin’s fascination with Balinese dance and theater.

“Chaplin was captivated by the incredible creativity of the Balinese and in particular with their dances and theater, that resonated with his very own art of pantomime,” Millet says.

“We can see the similarity of movements, the same sort of elegant pantomime.”

While Chaplin was captivated by the local customs, it was dance that particularly captured his attention. He began filming extensively.

Dance and theater then became a point of great significance in Chaplin’s Bali visit.

In rare footage, Chaplin is seen watching a dance rehearsal with two dance teachers training young dancers in the legong dance. Toward the end of the footage, he is seen emulating the dancers, bringing laughter to the gathered crowd.

Interestingly, the dance, called Legong Kupu-Kupu (Butterfly Legong) — a dance form that was popular between the 1920s and 1930s but has disappeared from contemporary Bali, can be seen in this documentary film both in its original form as well as in a specially revived form.

Choreographer and renowned Balinese dance master Bulantrisna Djelantik was instrumental in its revived form, which was performed by Ni Wayan Phia Widari Eka Tana. The gamelan music special for the Legong Kupu-Kupu was performed for the film by the Sekaa Gong Dewi Sri orchestra, headed by Nyoman Sumerta.

While dance is the basic focus in Bali’s significance in reinspiring Chaplin’s career, the documentary film also includes a long introduction about Chaplin’s journey to the East – passing through the ports of Singapore, Port Said, Colombo, Tanjung Priok, Surabaya, before actually arriving at its main objective, Bali.

This documentary film makes it clear once more how Bali and its culture was, and still is, a major energizer.

Happy spectator: Chaplin (second right) is seen among young Balinese people in the documentary Chaplin in Bali, which will premiere and open the Bali International Film Festival on Sunday.

— Photos courtesy of Nocturnes Productions, Mans Films, Phish Communications, Roy Export, RTBF

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Screenings

Chaplin in Bali is to be screened at the Balinale Festival on Sept. 24 at the Cinemaxx Theater, Lippo Mall in Kuta, Bali. The second screening will be held on Sept. 29. For further details, visit chaplininbali.com and balinale.com.