Chaplin (1992)

A movie about the troubled and controversial life of the master comedy filmmaker Charlie Chaplin.

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 & 16 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, Chaplin'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.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | charlie chaplin character | douglas fairbanks character | mary pickford character | mabel normand character | 

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Taglines:

Everyone has a wild side. Even a legend.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for nudity and language

Details

Country:

UK France Italy Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Чaплин

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Theatre - 615 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$31,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$84,669, 27 December 1992, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$9,493,259, 31 December 1993

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

Peter Sellers had sought to make a movie about Charlie Chaplin a few decades earlier.

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Goofs

When Mother is serving "fish head" soup to Charlie and his brother... She empties a ladle of broth into a bowl, then in a closer view is shown a fish head in the ladle which wasn't there a second ago.

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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 lose control? We need to know those facts.
Charlie Chaplin: It's hard to say. She could be so wonderful, on good days...

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Alternate Versions

To receive a 12 certificate the original UK cinema version was cut to remove one use of 'fucking' (during Charlie's homecoming visit to a pub). Later releases were uncut and upgraded to a 15 rating.

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Connections

Featured in The EE British Academy Film Awards (2015)

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Soundtracks

DAISY BELL
Harry Dacre

User Reviews

the triumphs and darker spots to the clown of film

Chaplin isn't really a great bio-pic, but there are moments when Richard Attenborough's direction shines and it's consistently got an amazing Robert Downey Jr. performance as the title character. In fact, this is the kind of movie where the lead actor is so important that some of the major enjoyment and success of the film rests on him/her, oddly enough since it is a varied and superlative ensemble. There are moments when Attenborough's grandiosity gets in the way, and the moments that mark it as being somewhat conventional. What made me pleasantly surprised is what Attenborough *did* decide to show with Chaplin the private man; I thought that he would cut out much of the stuff with Chaplin's penchant for young (usually underage) girls, or some of the things regarding his mother, but most of the notorious facts are put in for good measure to counter-balance some of the pompous, though fascinating, scenes of "cinematic history."

Now as a fan of Chaplin's films and the given acknowledgment that he's one of the most talented comic actors and filmmakers of the 20th century, I do get a little choked up seeing that final clip-show at the Oscars of great clips from his most famous movies. And it's interesting always, from just a movie-buff stand-point, to watch the history behind Chaplin's transition from vaudeville to Max Senett's film company to slowly becoming an independent and world-famous auteur/star. But for the most part the writing and the direction make it entertaining just on that conventional, rise-fall-rise-fall-struggle-success-at-end story with maybe less drugs and a bit more politics than one might usually see (save for one fantastic scene when Chaplin and his brother and friends are sneaking around the film footage of The Kid from the brass who want it for tax purposes).

What makes it almost outstanding, however, is Downey Jr. He's funny as Chaplin when he needs to show how he was a great clown (i.e. the 'old-drunk' bit), he's melancholy when needed, he plays Chaplin as young, middle-aged, and old perfectly, and there's just the slightest details that keep you glued to the screen to see what he'll do next. It's not exactly a breakthrough role as he'd been doing some really good work intermittently in the late 80s, but this is the one that got him recognition by the likes of the Academy, and rightfully so. It's masterful work in a decent tribute to Sir Charles "Tramp" Chaplin, and should delight those looking for a good ensemble and a commanding lead performance.