Chaplin (1992)

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

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writers:

David Robinson (book), Charles Chaplin (book),

Stars:

Robert Downey Jr., Geraldine Chaplin, Paul Rhys

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

The biography of Charlie Chaplin, filmmaker extraordinaire. From his formative years in England to his highest successes in America, Charlie's life, work, and loves are followed. While his screen characters were extremely hilarious, the man behind "The Little Tramp" was constantly haunted by a sense of loss.

---

Plot Keywords:

blacklist | underage girl | borzoi | ephebophile | understanding | 

---

Taglines:

Everyone has a wild side. Even a legend.

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for nudity and language

Details

Country:

USA Japan France Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charlie

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$31,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$9,493,259 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Japan Satellite Broadcasting (JBS), Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Geraldine Chaplin plays her own real life grandmother.

---

Goofs

During Chaplin's 1921 trip to Great Britain, he rides a Southern Railway train, which pulls into St. Pancras Station. Southern Railway didn't exist until 1923. St. Pancras Station was owned by the Midland Railway, which became the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
George Hayden: Ha ha ha ha ha. Come on Charlie stop messing about, we really have to get down to it now. I just hope our friendship survives the day, that's all.
Charlie Chaplin: Ha George, don't be so melodramatic.
George Hayden: Well it's your autobiography Charlie. And as your editor I have to tell you that parts of the manuscript are pretty vague, to say the least. I mean for instance, your mother. Now when did she first loose control? We need to know those facts.
Charlie Chaplin: It's hard to say. She could be so wonderful, on good days...

---

Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Saw VI/Cirque du Freak/The Vampire's Assistant/Amelia (2009)

---

Soundtracks

"POOR BUTTERFLY"
Raymond Hubbell and John Golden

User Reviews

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.