Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (2003)
I cannot imagine a more comprehensive
biographical documentary about Chaplin than the one
you find with "Charlie." Chaplin's life is certainly
covered in this film but his films are truly what's
most important here. And we get an amazing insight
into his cinematic work. There are clips from all
of his major feature releases, many of them with intensive
analysis. And then there are the generous supply of
clips from his early shorts.
One of Chaplin's first shorts is
the 1914 piece "At the Races" (AKA "Gentleman of Nerve")
and this seems a perfect start to discussing the man
and his life in front of the camera. In the short,
Chaplin, dressed as his soon-to-be- ubiquitous Little
Tramp, plays a audience member at an automobile race.
Impressed by the amazing amount of cameras there,
Chaplin's tramp soon begins stepping into frame and
trying to get "caught" by the cameras at every turn.
It is a hilarious film, or at least it seems so here.
We are given enough clips of the film to understand
its humor and its impact. Chaplin is poised for cinematic
eminence.
We begin to see a slew of well-known
personalities discussing Chaplin's impact and his
work, including Robert Downey, Jr., who played Chaplin
in a 1992 biopic. Others include Norman Lloyd and
Claire Bloom, who appeared in Chaplin's "Limelight,"
composer David Raskin, mimes Bill Irwin and Marcel
Marceau, fellow filmmakers Woody Allen, Richard Attenborough,
Martin Scorsese, and Milos Foreman, actor Johnny Depp,
who emulated Chaplin in "Benny and Joon," and a plethora
of film historians, film critics and Chaplin biographers.
Chaplin's children, some of them actors in their own
right, also appear including Geraldine, Michael and
Sydney. The entire film is narrated by director and
actor Sydney Pollack.
Chaplin's emergence as a filmmaker
and a star are covered quite deeply with much time
spent exposing numerous clips from his early shorts.
How Chaplin began to take control of the camera and
how his work as a writer and a director began to take
as much importance as his appearances in the films
are covered in much detail. Chaplin's quote, "All
I need to make a comedy is a park, a pretty girl and
a policeman," is proved time and again here.
After Chaplin's early days and his
work to establish United Artists with Douglas Fairbanks
and Mary Pickford are covered, the film begins to
work in a chronological, film by film, basis with
Scorsese spending time talking in depth about "A Woman
of Paris" and later "The Great Dictator." Other highlighted
films thoroughly discussed and exposed in clips include
"The Kid," "The Circus," "Gold Rush," "City Lights,"
and "Modern Times." The film ends with a fair amount
of home movies showing Chaplain in exile which prove
him to be, even in his later years, quite sweet and
quirky, often evoking images of his filmed past with
his mannerisms and impromptu bits of business.
Sadly "Charlie" offers no real deep
insights to his Chaplin's childhood or his early vaudeville
days. This seems to be glossed over because no real
visual images from those days exist. But this doesn't
negate the fact that "Charlie" is quite possibly the
most comprehensive visual program and discussion of
Chaplin's work involving the movie camera. Whether
behind it or captured by its unblinking eye, the man
was a true genius, a pioneer whose public person and
political problems often overshadowed his immense
artistry. This film finally provides the spotlight
those artistic attributes truly deserve.
Note:
The Internet Movie Database lists
over 90 film in which Chaplin starred, over 70 that
he wrote and directed and over 40 that he wrote music
for.
Viewed
at AFF 2003
