Review of Chaplin (1992) by Andres Felipe B — 03 Sep 2009

A very well done film, with strong performances by the cast. Robert was truly amazing, he nailed Charlie Chaplin. His moves, his expressions, I found it to be very on point. I adored Geraldine Chaplin as well. She played her own grandmother in the film. And she did a great job, her scenes were very sad and emotional and she played well in them. I also really liked Moira Kelly who got to play two different characters both equally as endearing. I wonder now that I have seen the film, if Chaplin married her ( her second character Oona) because she looked like his first love. I mean, Im sure there was lots of other reasons, but I wonder if that was the main reason.

I am glad that I saw this film and got some insight into one of our most legendary actors. Charlie Chaplin was a truly gifted comedian, actor and director. He was very thoughtful and courageous and ahead of the curve. And he was honest, never afraid to say what he thought. It was interesting to see his life story. I loved how in the movie (and in real life) how he made everything relevant. Like with his immigration movie, or with Modern Times (that dealt with The Great Depression) or The Great Dictator(with dealt with World War 2). He wasn't afraid to push boundaries, and do something different. And I have more respect for him now.

I l think they did a great job aging Robert. Some great make-up effects. One of my favourite quotes from the film was where he was discussing how he didn't want The Tramp (his most famous character) to be in talkie. How it would take away the charm. And I have to say, I think he is absolutely right. When you have something so iconic, its hard to make a change, and to still have something great come out of it. Look at all our endless remakes these days, some of them just don't live up to the original, because the first was so special to begin with. I also loved his quote in The Great Dictator as well. Im sure at the time, he lost a lot of fans,but again I think that shows his genius and his courage to publicly take a stand and make fun of hitler, at time where Hitler was reigning. Also I love how at the end of the film when he is at the Oscars, that they actually used the real clips of Charlie Chaplin himself in the films, I thought it was a rather nice touch.

So I highly recommend you to see this film, whether you are a fan of his work, or never really knew what he was about. I think this film did a great job portraying his life, gave me some good insight.I do want to check out some Charlie Chaplin films. I already had some interest, this just re-instated it.