Chaplin (1992)

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writers (WGA):

David Robinson (book)
Charles Chaplin (book)

Release Date:

8 January 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Everyone has a wild side. Even a legend.

Plot:

A film about the troubled and controversial life of the master comedy filmmaker.

Plot Keywords:

Life | Charlie Chaplin | Cult Favorite | Based On Multiple Works | Film Making

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Robert Downey Jr.	...	Charles Spencer Chaplin
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Hannah Chaplin
Paul Rhys	...	Sydney Chaplin
John Thaw	...	Fred Karno
Moira Kelly	...	Hetty Kelly / Oona O'Neill Chaplin
Anthony Hopkins	...	George Hayden
Dan Aykroyd	...	Mack Sennett
Marisa Tomei	...	Mabel Normand
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Edna Purviance
Kevin Kline	...	Douglas Fairbanks
Maria Pitillo	...	Mary Pickford
Milla Jovovich	...	Mildred Harris
Kevin Dunn	...	J. Edgar Hoover
Deborah Moore	...	Lita Grey (as Deborah Maria Moore)
Diane Lane	...	Paulette Goddard

Also Known As:

Charlot (Italy)

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

UK | USA | France | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:6 | New Zealand:PG | Peru:14 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Norway:10

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Carolco Pictures

Trivia:

Originally called "Charlie", as he was known among his friends and family. Since he was more universally known as Chaplin, that ended up being the title.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: A Western Electric 302 telephone appears in the 1930s. The phone was first produced in the 1940s.

Quotes:

Charlie Chaplin: If you want to understand me, watch my movies.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

PLEASE

Don't forget greats like Chaplin!

Thankyou to Richard Attenborough for this film. I watched it many a time and enjoyed both the biographical aspect and the comedic one but it has also increased my interest in silent comics of this great era.

The film begins by exploring the early life of Charlie, his Brother Sid and his Mother as they try to scrape a living. Thankfully Attenborough doesn't concentrate too much on this deprived part of Chaplin's life. However it does reveal interesting facts about Charlie that he never forgot during his rise to superstardom.

Although Chaplin is played by younger actors at the begining it is the arrival of Robert Downey Jnr which Chaplin fans will anticipate the most. He puts in an amazing performance, his London accent is excellent and ability to do slapstick even better he also really makes you believe that the great man is alive and on the screen again.

The film rightly concentrates on the private life of Chaplin and the development of the cinema. Whilst others may want to see the film concentrate on Chaplin's great pictures e.g The Kid, Gold Rush, and the Great dictator Attenborough blends the creation of these films into specific turning points in Charlie's life. For example Modern times is used to show Chaplin's sympathy towards victims of the wall street crash, as he knew what it was like to be extremely poor. His Jewish connections are also highlighted by the Great dictator, which shows his sensitivities to the European Jews were more at heart than just a making a heap of cash by having a laugh at Hitler's moustache and goose stepping troops.

The film doesn't get bogged down by Chaplin's hectic love life, as Dickie explores Charlie's political beliefs and how J Edgar Hoover was convinced of he was a communist party member. By doing so it shows how Hoover was one of the most twisted individuals to hold public office, with a dangerous obsession on peoples private lives and background.

The film does a good job in showing how important silent stars were and how we should not forget that they were the true greats when films were developing all the time from shorts to feature length, from silent to sound.