Over 700 books worldwide have been written about him, thousands of stories and articles,
merchandise galore; anything and everything that could be marketed has been including
hundreds of documentaries. With all this information at hand, why would it be necessary to
produce another documentary on a man who was once considered to be the most famous
person on the globe? You would think that everything that has been discussed about him
has already been documented and its cache has been fully gleaned. The filmmakers of the
new documentary on Charles Chaplin were faced with this daunting task before they ever
started. They asked themselves if there could possibly be anything to add to the Chaplin
story. With the help of an amazing researcher and the Chaplin Office, they not only
found new elements to add to the story, they did it in a bravura style that sets a new high bar
in documentary film making.
"The Real Charlie Chaplin" is not a history of the films of the great Chaplin so get that out of
your head from the start. This is the story of the man who created brilliance in film, how he came
to create and nurture his craft and what his genius cost him both in his professional and personal life.
If you are a big fan of his work and have a wealth of knowledge about his films, consider yourselves
ahead of the curve. This is not a film by film in depth look at Charlie but an examination of his process and how
he carefully chose his stories. There are abundant clips from his early works but hardly a title of those
Keystone, Essanay, Mutual and First National films are uttered; only Sennett and Keystone are mentioned
by name. Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Henry Bergman and other members of the Chaplin stock company
are seen but never mentioned by name. Again, this film isn't about them. If you know all about these artisans,
you go to the head of the class. Remain seated, however, as there is more to ingest.
From the start, the film tries to uncover who the real Charlie Chaplin is. We are introduced to a vast majority
of Chaplin imitators; from the best remembered to simply fans. From Billy West, Billie Ritchie to Charlie
Aplin and in between, we are invited on an expedition to discover who The Little Fellow is and who is
the man who created him.
It is in the second half hour that we first get to see him in a fully developed sequence, albeit, slightly edited
from "A Dog's Life" (1918). It all leads up to his work on "The Kid" (1921) and the similarities to his own
upbringing at 3 Pownall Terrace in England. With each successive sequence from his films, we get to see how
the real world and Charlie's world commingle and why his work was influenced by the happenings surrounding
him. Through the use of footage of the England Charlie was raised in and by seeing the parallel in his own films,
the evidence is overwhelming. As is the advise given to countless creators, write what you know about.
Directors Peter Middleton and James Spinney engaged researcher Erin Sayder to scour the world for film
and audio elements, interviews and photographs and they couldn't have hired a better person for the job.
In my lifelong admiration for and archiving of everything Chaplin, I figured that I've seen virtually everything
connected to his career that was available. Was I incorrect on that score. Sayder tracked down a hitherto
thought to be forever lost complete recording of Chaplin's 1947 press conference at the Gotham Hotel in
New York City. Only a scant clip was known to survive but Sayder discovered the original wire recording in
a collection in San Francisco. It is one of the incredible revelations in this film. Using actors to recreate
the press conference and by having them lip sync to the actual recording, you get the feeling that you are
in the Gotham watching the press attack Chaplin as the Press conference became more of an inquisition.
The use of other audio recordings with recreations are included including Chaplin's childhood friend Effie Wisdom
speaking to Kevin Brownlow (also recreated by an actor) and the 1966 audio recording of Chaplin himself
during his Life Magazine interview offer new insight into this most complex man.
The film delves into the scandalous areas of his life with Joan Barry and Lita Grey Chaplin, letting us know
that while Barry's daughter wasn't biologically Charlie's and that he never mentions Lita by name in his
own autobiography, it was the cause of much concern in its day.
It's the rare film footage that frequently pops up throughout this 114 minute film that is a feast for fans.
The film takes the bold step to never become a "talking heads" documentary. Aside from the recreations,
each voice heard is from someone who knew Charlie personally; Geraldine, Eugene, Jane and Michael Chaplin,
Alastair Cooke, Georgia Hale, Virginia Cherrill (Lita Grey is seen in footage from a 1966 Merv Griffin Show and an
interview with Kevin Brownlow). Fragments from private home movies from a few sources show Chaplin at work
on "City Lights" (1931), at play and general clowning around for his own amusement. Footage of Charlie after he
was knighted by the Queen, traveling all over the world, making speeches, outtakes from his early works all makes
for exciting viewing. Among the rare audio is a snippet of Charlie delivering his final speech from "The Great Dictator"
at FDR's third inauguration in 1941.
Newly shot footage at the former Chaplin home in Vevey, Switzerland, now the museum, Chaplin's World, is used as
well as original footage shot in 1973 by Richard Patterson for his "The Gentleman Tramp" (1975) is bridged and offers
another glimpse at the private Chaplin. Part of the recreation of the 1966 Life interview was filmed in the living room.
While the film is focused on the drama in Charlie's life (his daughter Jane laments that she longed to have one conversation
with her father and her alone), there is joy to be found. His beloved Oona is eulogized by her daughter Geraldine in a
loving manner, the reaffirmation of his standing in the film community as he is honored by the Motion Picture Academy
and sprinkled throughout the film, we see the admiration of fans worldwide.
Richard Patterson's "The Gentleman Tramp, arguably the finest documentary ever made on Chaplin and with the
approval of his wife is more for the person who wants to know about the man and his films with important
information about his personal life. However, "The Real Charlie Chaplin" takes a bolder step by digging deeper into
the darker areas. There are some who discount Lita Grey's account of her life as wife #2 but Chaplin relegated his
biography without mentioning her by name and only referencing her in three sentences so he pretty much rolled
out the red carpet for her in penning her version of life as a Chaplin. The Joan Barry paternity trial is also a matter of
public record. Even though her daughter Carol Ann wasn't his child, they were in a relationship and he was ordered to
provide for the child. It's tough medicine to swallow for a Chaplin fan and Middleton and Spinney don't spare the viewer
the details. All of this as well as his speeches snowball into Chaplin's eventual blocking from returning to the
United States in 1952.
You won't see his funeral (it's never mentioned), the grave robbing incident or those sad final photographs of Charlie
in a wheelchair being pushed by his wife along Lake Geneva. That's not what this film is about. We all know Charlie
died and the directors wisely chose to steer clear of that. In this film, Charlie is alive and that's as it should be. When
archival footage does show him in a wheelchair, it's to augment a conversation Effie had with him in 1975 the last time
they were to see each other. It's one of the precious moments included in this film.
The technique Middleton and Spinney use to tell this latest incarnation is top tier film making. Their choice of
narrator, Pearl Mackie is as inspired as it is daring. Her delivery in the story sounds as if she is discovering what we are
discovering at the same time. I was able to see this film in a theater and I'm very glad I did as the quality of much of the
archival footage is crisp and clear. With the recreation sequences, it adds a cinematic touch that might become lost
when viewed on a television. The music contained in the film is virtually all Chaplin and much of it has been re recorded
by accomplished musicians. This is not one of those "quickie" documentaries relegated to public domain footage and
audio.
The Chaplin family and their representatives were very much involved in this project and the final result is a
film that will stand as an important addition to further understand the life of a remarkable man. Warts and all, Chaplin
is clearly shown as one of the great creative forces of the last century, a benchmark in cinema, at his peak, the most popular
individual who ever breathed oxygen but first and foremost, a man with human frailties and problems like all of us. We all have
things in our lives we would like to forget. I know Chaplin did too but being Chaplin, a public figure, an "influencer" and
a beloved figure of his time, it would be impossible to simply forget when your every word and movement is
documented and brought back to haunt you. Before the internet and modern communication, Chaplin had a tough
time avoiding his past as many public figures do today.
The most ardent Chaplin fans may object to classic sequences being trimmed but again, if you want to see full clips of
Chaplin films, see "The Gentleman Tramp" or watch the complete films the sequences come from.
Here, we get the taste, the gist, the flavor. If anything, this film should whet the appetites of viewers who will want to
seek out the treasures that await them. Charlie's story needs to be told and retold. When in the capable hands of
Middleton and Spinney, In the case of "The Real Charlie Chaplin", you'll be glad they did.
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