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 | Chaplin (1992) a must-see film a fan favorite |
| Summary | Charlie Chaplin rises from lower class scamp to world famous comic with a trove of barely-legal beauties at his side. |
| Genre | Drama / Biopic |
| Direction | Richard Attenborough |
| Downey Factor | High. He plays the title character. |
| Character | Charlie Chaplin, famed silent film star (from his vaudeville days to old age) |
| Looks | All right, period costuming is effective. |
| Performance | Academy Award nominee for Best Actor. |
| Accent | British |
| Line | You see, when everyone thought we were having an affair, we were married. Now that everyone realizes we're married, we're getting divorced. |
| Love & Sex | He romances a variety of young girls, but for a film obsessed with his sex life, it's not that lurid. |
| Dies, Gay or Villain | No, No, No |
| Other Actors | Marisa Tomei, Dan Akroyd, Kevin Kline, Geraldine Chaplin, David Duchovny, James Woods, Anthony Hopkins |
| Connection | Geraldine Chaplin in Home for the Holidays. Kevin Kline in Soapdish. Marisa Tomei in Only You. Nancy Travis in Air America. James Woods in True Believer. |
| RDJ Says | Chaplin was the culmination of an opportunity, and the biggest humiliation I've ever experienced. It was like winning the lottery, then going to prison. I realized that nothing that had worked for me before was going to work here. I'd watch one of Charlie's films, but by the end of it I was wildly depressed, because I realized that what he'd done in this twenty-minute short was more expressive and funnier than everything I've thought about doing my whole life ... Charlie Chaplin was, is, really about healing through entertainment ... My point of identification with Chaplin was the intense desire to show the humor in the sadness. And to want to almost disown the healing ability of that, because there's no satisfaction in the search until you come to terms with whatever your blocks are. I think what he is really looking for throughout the whole movie is love ... I was challenged artistically. This was the first time I admitted that I didn't know what I was doing. You know, change only occurs when you move out of your comfort zones ... There were times when I just thought, 'Oh my God, I'll never be able to show my face again. I don't know what I'm doing, and everyone's going to find out' ... When I accepted the part, they didn't tell me that I also had to do the acrobatic stuff of Charlie. That has cost me a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Though I now can say, 'I did all my stunts myself.' Working on Chaplin was really intensive and cost me years of my life, but if I could do it all over again, no doubt I would do it the same way ... I believe that everything I know about acting now, for the most part I have to thank Richard Attenborough for ... [Attenborough is] Yoda, and I'm Luke. |
| Gossip | He was tripping on mushrooms while filming some of the elderly Chaplin scenes in Switzerland. |
| Lit Reference | My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin The film is structured around a fictional meeting between Chaplin and the editor of this book. |
| Release | April 8, 1993 |
| Availability | Available on video in NTSC and PAL formats. Released on DVD in Region 1, 2, and 4 |
| Foreign Titles | Italy: Charlot Japan: Charlie (title is in English) |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 78% Fresh | 27 Reviews |
| Critical View | Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Robert Downey Jr. succeeds almost uncannily in playing Chaplin; the physical resemblance is convincing, but better is the way Downey captures Chaplin's spirit, even in costume as the Tramp. |
| 2 Reasons to See It | 1. So that if you ever meet him, you can say, "You were so goooood in Chaplin!" and really mean it. Seriously -- he loves that. No one ever brings it up! 2. The physical comedy! |
| Overall | A must-see. |
| If You Like It | You might also like Good Night & Good Luck (2005), Restoration (1995) |
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