And so we come to the end of our survey of Charlie Chaplin's work as a director. His last movie, A Countess from Hong Kong, made in 1966 and released in 1967, is easily his worst. Countess stands out among Chaplin's films in several ways. It's his only color film, and the only one financed … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 20: We end with A Countess from Hong Kong
Category: Chaplin Diary
Chaplin Diary, Part 19: A King in New York
With his last starring film, A King in New York (1957), Charlie Chaplin finally remembered that he was first and foremost a clown. For the first time since The Great Dictator, he's made a movie that is more than sporadically funny. And yet he manages to give it a serious side as well. Which isn't … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 19: A King in New York
Chaplin Diary, Part 18: Limelight
Charlie Chaplin dug into his family's history in what would be his last American film, Limelight - a drama about a washed-up comedian. I started this Chaplin Diary almost a year ago with films he made in 1914. Now he has made a film set largely in his home town of London in that very … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 18: Limelight
Chaplin Diary, Part 17: Monsieur Verdoux
It took a long time for me to get to the next movie in my Chaplin Diary. I've been busy. I'm also not that enthusiastic about Chaplin's later work. By the time Monsieur Verdoux came out in 1947, Chaplin had not made a movie in almost seven years. He horribly altered and re-released The Gold … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 17: Monsieur Verdoux
Chaplin Diary, Part 16: The Great Dictator
In my previous Chaplin Diary entry, I called Modern Times "arguably Chaplin's last performance as The Tramp." But there's still a lot of Chaplin's "little fellow" in his first true talkie, The Great Dictator. By the late 1930s, even Charlie Chaplin couldn't make silent films anymore. No one wanted to see them. The change was … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 16: The Great Dictator
Chaplin Diary, Part 15: Modern Times
When you think about it, Modern Times seems a strange name for such an old-fashioned movie. No one in America, or Europe, was making silent films 1936. Of course, it wasn't really silent. It had a recorded musical score (composed by Chaplin) and a great many sound effects (much more than City Lights). It even … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 15: Modern Times
Chaplin Diary, Part 14: City Lights
As we work through Charlie Chaplin's directorial work in chronological order, we now come to his greatest masterpiece. Yes, that's my opinion, but it's hardly an unusual one. City Lights may come as close to a perfect comedy as you can find. I've already written about City Lights in a 2013 Blu-ray review, so I'll … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 14: City Lights
Chaplin Diary, 13: The Circus
People often overlook Charlie Chaplin's fourth feature, The Circus. Sandwiched between his two long-form masterpieces, The Gold Rush and City Lights, it feels unimportant. But you shouldn't overlook it. While The Circus is no masterpiece, it's a very funny comedy with a considerable amount of heart, even if it veers very close at times to the … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, 13: The Circus
Chaplin Diary, Part 12: The Gold Rush
As I chronologically move through Charlie Chaplin's work as a director, I now come to his first feature-length masterpiece, The Gold Rush. His 1925 epic belongs on any list of great films - including mine. I've already written two articles on The Gold Rush: a report on a screening with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 12: The Gold Rush
Chaplin Diary, Part 11: A Woman of Paris
Frst After completing The Pilgrim, Charlie Chaplin was finally free of his First National contract. He could now concentrate on making features for United Artists - the company he created with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith. But Chaplin had a problem: Edna Purviance. She'd been his leading lady for eight of his nine … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 11: A Woman of Paris
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