Plot: What’s it about?
The medium of film is now more than one hundred years old and one of the most enduring images is that of the little tramp. As they say on this documentary, you can paint his image with just a few brush strokes and immediately recognize what that image is. The bowler hat, the cane, the posture and the shoes pointing outward – and let’s not forget the trademark mustache! Charlie Chaplin defined what it was to be a movie star. What was so amazing about Chaplin, though, is the fact that he not only starred in his movies, he also wrote, directed and produced them. There are a few actors today doing that, but not nearly to the extent that Chaplin did. He set the bar high and it’s a very talented person who could ever raise it higher. Chaplin wasn’t perfect, mind you. He was a notorious womanizer and had affairs with most of his leading ladies. He was a meticulous filmmaker, shooting a scene dozens of times if need be. Co-star Georgia Hale remembers that he called off production on “The Gold Rush” for days until he became ‘inspired’ again. Try that today! Out of all the movies he made, though, a handful stand out as being predominately brilliant. “City Lights” is his swansong to romance, though most of his movies had a romantic undertone; “Modern Times” was more than getting caught in the gears of the future and “The Gold Rush” showed how human nature can fold in upon itself. It’s amazing in our pop-culture obsessed world now, but for nearly half a century, Charlie Chaplin was the most popular person in the world.
Bearing that title, it was bound to not only influence future performers, but even generations of them. Chaplin’s likeness has appeared in film, cartoons, television, toys and about everything in between. Countless comics, actors and entertainers of every race and religion have either borrowed or stolen from Chaplin at one time or another. He defied convention at the time with “City Lights” by making it a silent film (though the film did contain sound), even when the public demanded pictures that “talked”. I’ll have to admit that I haven’t seen all of his films and until a few years ago, I hadn’t even seen his most famous ones. This has all changed, though, and I don’t think anyone could call themselves a fan of cinema if they haven’t viewed a Charlie Chaplin film. TIME magazine movie critic Richard Schickel has offered up commentary tracks on “Unforgiven” and others and is the official biographer of Clint Eastwood. Mr. Schickel more than knows his stuff about film and about Chaplin. He’s produced, written and directed this amazing documentary on Charlie Chaplin with interviews from some of today’s biggest stars. Johnny Depp talks about replicating the roll dance from “Benny & Joon” among others. Chaplin’s real-life children are interviewed as well. The bottom line is that if you want to get to know about Chaplin, then this is a good place to start. Countless books abound, but for the DVD generation; it doesn’t get more complete than this.
Video: How does it look?
“Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin” is presented in a full frame transfer. This feature is made up of material from various sources and as such, the quality varies from time to time. The older footage and behind the scenes moments look rough, but acceptable, while the film clips seem to look solid, no real complaints. The interviews look terrific and they should, since they were recently made and haven’t had time to decrease in quality. In the end, this is a very effective visual treatment and I don’t think fans will be let down.
Audio: How does it sound?
A Dolby Digital 5.1 track is used here, but the front channels shoulder most of the burden. The interviews are dialogue driven, which means little directional presence. This is how it should be however, so there is no reason to be disappointed in the least. The vocals are clean and smooth, never hard to understand in the least. I was very impressed with the musical score here, which sounds excellent and adds a lot to the presentation. Though most of the footage is nearly seventy years old, there’s really no problem with the audio here. A good job.
Supplements: What are the extras?
No bonus materials have been included.
