Amazon.com: Sir Richard Attenborough's biographical film of the life and times of Charles Chaplin is a little thin as a narrative, but it is so charmingly creative and ultimately moving, it's hard to care about any deficits. Robert Downey Jr. does an excellent job re-creating Chaplin's graceful slapstick and getting inside the silent-film superstar's head over many years of triumph, defeat, scandal, official persecution, exile, and inner peace. A huge cast portray the allies, friends, lovers, and enemies in Chaplin's life, including Moira Kelly as his final, longtime wife, Oona, Kevin Kline as Douglas Fairbanks, Geraldine Chaplin as Charlie's mother, and James Woods as a prosecutor working hard to nail Chaplin for anti-American sentiments. Attenborough declines to tell the story in a flat, linear way, employing such clever techniques as detailing one chapter in Chaplin's life as a silent comedy. The climactic scene set at an Oscar tribute for Chaplin will get the tears flowing. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - "The man's a wizard with women."
In the hands of director Richard Attenborough, Charlie Chaplin's life story becomes a sweeping and touching drama. Robert Downey, Jr. gives an unforgettable performance as Chaplin, who rose from the slums ... Read More
Rating: - Not much of an anniversary celebration...
I would agree with D. Reyes' review on this dvd reissue. The picture quality is improved, but the special features are very short and the two short docs that were on the original release are not included here. ... Read More
Rating: - This is an okay re-release
The first time this came out on DVD was in 1998 I believe. The new release differs in the sense that it's a cleaned up print and that it's also enhanced for 16x9 televisions, where as the original wasn't. If you ... Read More
Rating: - wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been a fan of Charlie Chaplin and Robert Downey Jr for years. This is the perfect combonation of the two. RDJ does a wonderful job becoming Chaplin. It is not an easy task to do. I love the movie.
Rating: - Robert Downey, Jr, - The Bad Boy at His Best!
If you're anything like me, the almost semi-annual relapse and recovery of Robert Downey Jr. has been an interesting periodic feature of the morning news. After a while one begins to question why does Hollywood put ... Read More
- "The man's a wizard with women."