Charlie Chaplin - Les années suisses (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Directors:

Beat Hirt
Felice Zenoni

Writers:

Beat Hirt (writer)
Felice Zenoni (writer)

Release Date:

18 May 2003 (France)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Plot:

This documentary about Charlie Chaplin focuses on his late years when he lived with his family in a village on Lake Geneva in Switzerland...

Plot Keywords:

Composer | Charlie Chaplin | Actor | Film Maker | Portrait

Cast

Charles Chaplin	...	Himself (archive footage)
Eugene Chaplin	...	Himself
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Herself
Michael Chaplin	...	Himself
Petula Clark	...	Herself
Arthur Cohn	...	Himself
Sophia Loren	...	Herself
Peter Ustinov	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Charlie Chaplin - Die Schweizer Jahre (Switzerland: German title)
Charlie Chaplin: The Forgotten Years (International: English title)

Runtime:

Switzerland:55 min

Country:

Switzerland

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Company:

Mesch & Ugge AG

A More Personal Look At Charles Chaplin

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This Swiss television documentary features three of Chaplin's children and their personal reminiscences of their father when they lived at his estate in Switzerland growing up between December 1952 and Chaplin's death 25 years later. Geraldine, the actress, Michael, and Eugene Chaplin provide a mixture of adulation, colorful anecdotes, and sentimental quips about their father, entertaining the viewer in simple conversational, garden party fashion. The film eschews the typical Chaplin documentary focuses of his Hollywood career and troubled personal and public lives in favor of his quiet years in exile at his Swiss estate. Some of the locals who crossed paths with Chaplin offer recollections of their brief glimpses of Chaplin. Fellow British actor Peter Ustinov comments about his friendship with Chaplin during his later years. While Petulia Clarke remembers the number one song she had from Chaplin's last film: A Countess From Hong Kong. The song is entitled "(Love), this is my song". Oona Chaplin and Charles are pictured as an oddly paired happy couple with each taking turns depending on each other over the span of their married life. The film ultimately depicts Chaplin as an eternal optimist, continuously adjusting to the highs and lows in his life and leaving a lasting influence on those whose paths he crossed. *** of 4 stars.