A King in New York (1957)

A recently-deposed European monarch seeks shelter in New York City, where he becomes an accidental television celebrity and is later wrongly accused of being a Communist.

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Maxine Audley, Jerry Desmonde

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Chaplin	...	King Shahdov
Maxine Audley	...	Queen Irene
Jerry Desmonde	...	Prime Minister Voudel
Oliver Johnston	...	Ambassador Jaume
Dawn Addams	...	Ann Kay - TV Specialist
Sidney James	...	Johnson - TV Advertiser
Joan Ingram	...	Mona Cromwell - Hostess
Michael Chaplin	...	Rupert Macabee
John McLaren	...	Macabee Senior
Phil Brown	...	Headmaster
Harry Green	...	Lawyer
Robert Arden	...	Liftboy
Alan Gifford	...	School Superintendent
Robert Cawdron	...	U.S. Marshal
George Woodbridge	...	Member of Atomic Commission

Storyline

Due to a revolution in his country, King Shahdov comes to New York - almost broke. To get some money he goes to TV, making commercials and meets the child from communist parents. Due to this he is suddenly a suspected as a communist himself and has to face one of McCarthy's hearings.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | fake movie trailer | communist | new york city | revolution | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The first film that Charles Chaplin made in the UK after his exile from America, and his last leading role in a movie.

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Goofs

At the start of the film there's what appears to be a BEA Viscount plane in the air giving the impression that the King is aboard gut the one that lands is a Pan American Stratocruiser.

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Quotes

[after being called for questioning by the government on suspicions of Communist affiliations]
Rupert Macabee: I'm so sick and tired of people asking me if I'm this, if I'm that!

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Alternate Versions

Original British prints run about five minutes longer than the version that was released in America in 1976. It is this American version that is available on video, but the British cut is available on disc.

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Connections

Referenced in Chaplin Today: Monsieur Verdoux (2003)

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Soundtracks

Mandolin Serenade
(1957)
Written by Charles Chaplin
Played in the score

User Reviews

No masterpiece but no disaster either.

Someone once described "A King in New York" as the worst film ever made by a major artist. I can think of many worse examples and while this late Chaplin picture may lack the genius of his earlier work, (it was his penultimate film; he made it several years after "Limelight" and before "A Countess from Hong Kong"), it is an often very funny satire on what Chaplin perceived as 'the modern age'. Driven out of America by McCarthyism, Chaplin constructed his New York in a British studio and typical of its writer, director, star and composer it makes no apology for its attack on right-wing politics, in particular the HUAC, as well as television, Cinemascope and plastic surgery. It's also less sentimental than it might have been, (always Chaplin's biggest fault), but the plot involving a child played by Chaplin's own son Michael, does the film no favours. On the other hand, Chaplin himself is superb and Dawn Adams is surprisingly good as a television star. No masterpiece, then but not quite the disaster some people have said of it either.

Details

Official Sites:

Instagram Official Site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1957 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Un rey en Nueva York

Filming Locations:

Leicester Square, Soho, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Attica Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1