Review of Chaplin

Chaplin (1992)
9/10
Near perfection for shear perfection.
13 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
You do not see Robert Downey Jr. When you watch him play Charlie Chaplin here. You are seeing the real deal, the ultimate compliment for big screen movie performances. It's not acting. It's real, and it's one of the most touching and heartbreaking and funny and sweet movie biographies ever conceived. From the story of the mental health issues of his mother (played by Charlie's real life daughter Geraldine Chaplin) to his early success as a music hall performer, heading to the United States where he finds true art in filmmaking in its early days, going on to his scandals, big screen full feature length movies, and finally legendary status that results in one of the most touching and tear-inducing tributes that an artist has ever received.

A truly believable performance by Dan aykroyd as comedy producing legend Mack Sennett and Marissa Tomei as funny girl Mabel Normand will have musical theater fans humming the overture from Jerry Herman's cult flop, and who better to play Douglas Fairbanks than Kevin Kline? This is the true story of the early movie industry, getting bigger and better as movies became larger than life. But more than just a view of the creation of an industry, it's the document of history, taking us through over eight decades and giving us a view into the passions and follies of one of the greatest filmmakers to ever be behind or in front of a camera.

The film utilizes both the real Chaplin and Downey in the little tramp costume, and as you see Downey transform himself, the emotions of a character still beloved over 100 years later will take over the viewer. Downey gets to recreate some of the greatest screen moments ever, and it's difficult to differentiate which is the real deal and which is the recreation. The stunning period detail is also glorious and the John Barry musical score triumphant, sweet and at times sad.

Then there's Anthony Hopkins as the biographer of Chaplin story, interviewing him throughout the film as it goes to various times in Chaplin's life. Hopkins' voice alone is rich enough to dominate every moment he's on screen, but he is wisely subtle and dignified, as if knowing that he's tying in modern film history with its past and proud to be a part of it. While many of the names of the various real life Hollywood personalities are forgotten today, their spirits seem to be looking over the film as if proud that a memory will be stirred of their work.

The direction of Richard Attenborough is of course superb, and this is just one example of why he could easily go from well known British character actor to a legendary film director for whose each film created great publicity simply because of his name. How appropriate did he be in charge of a film about a director and actor whose name alone created great publicity long before those film were released.

As we see Chaplin age, any desire to judge him for his scandalous romances and liaisons goes out the window because in spite of some of the lascivious things that he allegedly did, there is a sense of sweet innocence about him that defuses those indecencies. Watching the elderly Chaplin looking on in tears at the film clips being presented at the Academy Awards when he was given a special honor will have the audience in tears as well, and to mix tears with laughter makes this a film that will keep the memory of the little tramp alive and respected forever.
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