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The Chaplin-kono Conference I


Japan March 2006

The Chaplin Society of Japan will held the Chaplin-Kono Conference in Kyoto in Japan from the 25th to 27th of March 2006. The aim of the Chaplin-Kono Conference was to reassess Charlie Chaplin and his secretary Kono Totaichi. Kono worked for Chaplin from 1916 to 1934 and was Chaplin’s right hand man. But little is known about him. However a lot of new materials were found recently and Kono’s biography is becoming clear.

There was also an exhibition of the huge amount of collection by Higashijima Tomie’s large collection, wich included Chaplin’s portrait with his autograph for Kono, Chaplin’s train ticket, Virginia Cherrill’s portrait with her autograph for Kono, more than 300 precious photos such as Chaplin and Al Jolson or Kono and Laurel and Hardy or Ida Lupino, Kono’s own srapbook with a lot of precious newspaper clippings from those days, more than 500 pieces of letters to Kono and Chaplin and so on.

Ms Higashijima Tomie, Kono’s second wife, talked about her memories of Kono.This conference and exhibition offered new information on Chaplin.

h3. March 25th 2006:

  • Professor Frank Scheide “The influence of English Music Hall on the Nonverbal Expression of Charles Spencer Chaplin”.

  • Cecilia Ceaciarelli from The Cineteca di Bologna talked about Chaplin’s unmade project.

  • Davide Pozzi from The Cineteca di Bolognawill talked about restoration of Chaplin’s films with a screening of Keystone films.

  • Professor Kathryn Millard talked about Chaplin’s imitators and will screen clips from her new documentary on Chaplin’s imitators.

h3. March 26th 2006:

  • Professor Nakagaki Kotaro “Chaplin and American culture”

  • Professor Hattori Yuki “The History of Japan’s acceptance of Chaplin”

  • David Robinson talked about Music Hall and Chaplin.

  • Ono Hiroyuki talked about “Chaplin and Japan “Kono Toraichi”

  • Clyde Kusatsu talked about Kono and will screen clips from his new documentary on Kono: Chaplin’s driver.

  • Professor Constance B.Kuriyama talked about Kono and von Ulm.

  • Higashijima Tomie talked about her husband Kono

  • The actress Kuroyanagi Tomie talked about Chaplin, whom she met in New York in 1972.

  • Josephine Chaplin talked about her father, interviewed by Ono Hiroyuki.