Review of Chaplin

Introduction

Charles Chaplin, a great comedian, whose skills in filmmaking created a new type of narration in storytelling for cinema, carrying deep social messages integrated with overly humour and melodramatic sentiments. This type of filmmaking is still very much present today in many films, particularly with movies produced in Indian cinema.

With his famous trademarked character, known to many as “the tramp”, the performer acted in landmark films such as The Immigrant (1917), The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), Modern Times (1936) and the controversial motion picture The Great Dictator (1940). His movies continue to influence many filmmakers today and still have an immense effect on viewers of any kind.

But many cinemagoers didn’t know who the real man was behind the extensive make-up and costumes of the tramp. Their only source of information was gossip articles and bias news reports published about his failed marriages, his links with communists, and his sex life with young females. It wasn’t until his biography was published that many people began to understand Charles Chaplin. But as eloquently put by the multi talented actor/director/producer/screenwriter/score composer he once stated, “If you want to understand me, then watch my movies.”

Richard Attenborough, who had directed the Oscar winning biographical film Gandhi (1982), returns to the genre with Chaplin (1992). I expected a movie that would highlight major points in his life, from his hard childhood years to the intrusion of the FBI. While it does so, with little detail, the narration of the film creates a mise en scene that is more suited to television soap then to a biographical film. This was the film’s major let down for me. The film tends to give Chaplin’s sexual life more screen time and begins to get tiresome as these scenes lack passion and drama. The use of flashbacks, and of the feeble dialogues added to the weakness of narrative.

With a large ensemble cast the film purely belongs to Robert Downey Jr, who pins down the mannerisms of both Chaplin and of “The Tramp” perfectly. For his performance the actor received a deserved Oscar nomination for best actor in 1992. Also impressive is the Oscar nominated art direction, which captured all the moods of the periodic decades in both the 19th and 20th century.

The film is one that doesn’t really merit repeated viewing due to the soap opera screenplay. I would have preferred a much more intelligent look into the life of Chaplin, weather it was his private life or his professional life.

Video

The DVD is presented in an enhanced anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio, preserving the original intention of the filmmakers. The picture however was suffering from a tad bit of softness, some film grain and film dirt. A much cleaner 35mm source could have help to clear this problem.

No signs of pixilation could be found on this disc. Colour saturation on this DVD was handled well with the subdued colours that helped to capture the visual look of the period.

Audio

The DVD is presented in two different Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 tracks; in English and German. Both optional tracks have similar qualities in terms of stereo separation and soundfield that is both pleasant and satisfying. Dialogues were clear, and the sound effects integrated well with the overall visual experience.

Features

Here is the most disappointing part of the overall DVD. The supplement features are nothing more then the electronic press kit originally issued at the time of the film’s theatrical release for promotional purposes. The following items can be chosen under the special features menu;

Theatrical trailer – Has a running time of 1min 59secs, and like all of the special features on this disc it is presented in a fullscreen 1.33:1 ratio with Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0. The trailer is the only feature I fully enjoyed and welcomed its addition onto this DVD.

Photo Gallery –I couldn’t see the contents on the test disc presented to me for reviewing, so no comment.

Production Story – An eight minutes look about the making of the film, with some interviews with the cast and crew. This was quite a tiresome and dull feature as the cast tries to sell an already bought product. There are 14 chapter marks that make fast-forwarding quite an easy task.

A Director’s View – A six-minute feature with the director who gives us his reasons for making this film. The feature was quite repetitive as some clips presented here are also seen in the production story. Also the director interviews are edited short, and it almost felt like he has so much more to say. The feature has 13 chapter marks.

Behind The Scene’s – The actor Robert Downey Jr. hosts this feature which has a duration of 20 minutes, and 10 chapter marks. While the cast offers more input about the film’s production it is still a weak documentary as its tries to sell an already bought product. Also the music levels on this feature were so high that I couldn’t understand what was being said in the narration.

In additional to the special features are 5 optional subtitle tracks for the main feature; English, German, Turkish, English (HOH) and German (HOH). The menus are quite thematic in design and easy to navigate over.

Conclusion

Given the treatment of the picture quality, and extra features, I would rate this disc as just an average product. It is worth purchasing only if you’re a fan of the film, or if the disc is being sold way below its recommended retail price.