Chaplin [DVD]

 

 

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A fantastic film with a stunning performance by Robert Downey Jnr as Chaplin. Emotional, funny & moving, superb entertainment & great acting all round. Brilliant.

Let's face it - Iron Man WAS Robert Downey, Jr. and he was by far the best thing in Tropic Thunder. Downey, Jr. picks this movie up and walks off with it, delivering a simply mesmerizing performance as Charlie Chaplin, perfectly capturing his essence, a performance so flawless that you come to believe you are actually seeing Chaplin himself! Great supporting cast - Hopkins being the most notable - makes for a very fine biopic.

Richard Attenborough had already proven he was masterful at bringing the life of a famous person to screen ten years before Chaplin was released, with the highly praised and awarded Gandhi. Though this film was more critically lauded than Chaplin, it is obvious that Attenborough is masterful at the sprawling biopic.

Chaplin obviously tells the story of one of the UK's most famous entertainers (Who ironically spent a great deal of his life in the US). From his humble beginnings in the poverty of Victorian London to his rise to become the most famous man on the planet at the time, to his fall from grace at the hands of America's communist paranoia, right up until his final years where he accepts a lifetime achievement award from The Academy. Today, he is known by his still-hilarious silent films and his comedy character The Little Tramp, but like many great comedians, he was a complex and sad man deep down.

The film spans almost all of the man's 88-year life, and the viewer really gets a feeling of a large space of time passing without ever becoming tired of the film (which is around two hours and twenty minutes long). This is partly because the events, locations and activities of Chaplin were many and pretty varied. Most of his life story is told as he relates his story to his biographer (Sir Anthony Hopkins). He engages in a great many relationships with different women, particularly younger ones. His career is also long and varied, starting out as a comic at the Hackney Empire, branching out into a silent film star, moving into "talkies", writing the musical Modern Times and co-forming United Artists Pictures.

The acting in the film is strong throughout, as you would expect from a stellar cast that includes Sir Anthony Hopkins, John Thaw, Dan Ackroyd, Kevin Kline, James Woods, Marisa Tomei, and Geraldine Chaplin, Charlie's daughter, playing her grandmother. But the most impressive has to be Robert Downey Jr., playing the lead role. If you have any doubts as to whether an American could play one of Britain's most famous sons, then this film will lay it to rest once and for all. He masters both the cockney accent from Chaplin's earlier years, and the more refined speech pattern he adopted once he had settled in America. But more than this he successfully conveys his driven attitude to his work (his comedy mannerisms are imitated extremely well), his frustration at changing times and his sadness at losing what he loved. Even as he is unrecognisable in prosthetics when playing Chaplin as an old man, he manages to ooze emotion and realism.

The production values for this film were highly praised, and this is obvious once you have seen it. The locations are expansive, authentic and beautiful. One memorable moment has Charlie and his brother attempting to conceal him from the police as they make their escape and is played in the style of his famous silent comedy films.

Chaplin is a fantastic biopic of one of the true greats of the entertainment world. If you have a love for cinema, comedy or any form of antertainment then this film will prove to be a fascinating insight into the world of this very interesting and flawed human being.

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4.0 out of 5 stars A fine tribute to a wonderful English hero, at last.
First off, its been many years since I first watched this film and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching it again. Read more

Published 22 days ago by Lee Tiller

5.0 out of 5 stars Great film
Downey Jnr at his best! Touching story about Charlie Chaplin's rise to fame and his journey from the Victorian slums to Hollywood. Chaplin is revealed as more than just 'a clown. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Dramaqueen

5.0 out of 5 stars chaplin
This is a brilliant film with a brilliant cast. I felt this was a true account of Charlie's life. I was really captured with the movie.

Published 4 months ago by teeny weeny

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent film
I had seen this film in the cinema when it was first released. It has really stood the test of time and Rpbert Downey has a great talent for bringing The Tramp to life and also... Read more

Published 7 months ago by P. STACE

5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite rags to riches movie
I am a fan of Charlie Chaplin. I heard of this biopic, and I watched it to see how an actor could pull off playing the part. Read more

Published 7 months ago by A customer

4.0 out of 5 stars Learnt a lot...
This film is fantastic if you want to learn more about Charlie Chaplin and his life. I wrote an essay for uni about Charlie Chaplin before watching this film and I really wish I... Read more

Published 8 months ago by LucyLucy

5.0 out of 5 stars best fillm
one of the best film and should have more oscars, Chaplin just win one of oscar in 1977 before he died. Funny and greatest.

Published 11 months ago by lee davison

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic
The first time I saw this movie, I watched it 3 times i a row - I was so amazed by Robert Downey Jr. Read more

Published 11 months ago by MM

5.0 out of 5 stars a Hollywood epic about a Hollywood legend
there are those reviewers who say this has not captured Chaplin, that this has been left out and that ... they are missing the point. Read more

Published 13 months ago by White Rose

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable biopic
Having recently read a biography of Robert Downey Junior which detailed some of the behind the scenes gossip surrounding this film I thought I'd rent it. Read more

Published 18 months ago by SilentSinger

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