Amazon.com video review:
Sir Richard Attenborough's biographical film of the life and
times of Charles Chaplin is a little thin as a narrative, but it is so
charmingly creative and ultimately moving, it's hard to care about any
deficits. Robert Downey Jr. does an excellent job re-creating
Chaplin's graceful slapstick and getting inside the silent-film
superstar's head over many years of triumph, defeat, scandal, official
persecution, exile, and inner peace. A huge cast portray the allies,
friends, lovers, and enemies in Chaplin's life, including Moira Kelly
as his final, longtime wife, Oona, Kevin Kline as Douglas Fairbanks,
Geraldine Chaplin as Charlie's mother, and James Woods as a prosecutor
working hard to nail Chaplin for anti-American sentiments.
Attenborough declines to tell the story in a flat, linear way,
employing such clever techniques as detailing one chapter in Chaplin's
life as a silent comedy. The climactic scene set at an Oscar tribute
for Chaplin will get the tears flowing. The DVD release features a
widescreen presentation, production notes, theatrical trailer, cast
and crew bios, featurette, and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom
Keogh
