Overview

Charlie Chaplin (UK, 1889-Switzerland, 1977) is one of cinema s mythical figures, while the character he played so often has become an icon. After a childhood in Dickensian London and early work on the stage, it was his move to Hollywood that enabled him to express his rich talent to the maximum, becoming the undisputed master of the burlesque genre in its golden age. His best known feature films, including City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936) and The Great Dictator (1940), were made in the 1930s and combine comedy with social and political comment. With the advent of sound, Chaplin put away his baggy trousers, walking stick, broken-down shoes and bowler hat and set about developing ambitious dramas. But during the cold war period his free lifestyle and left-wing political affiliations obliged him to leave the USA. While his last European films, Monsieur Verdoux (1947) and Limelight (1952), did not have the same popular success as his earlier work, they remain major masterpieces.

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9782866426064

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Reviews

On the Masters of Cinema Series Modern directors are briefly and brilliantly profiled in sharp prose and smart pictures in these movie master-classes for film buffs and beginners. -Saga Short, beautifully illustrated essays on great directors. -The Times Exceptional value... Lively and accessible... Indispensable. -Obessed With Film Bargain price. Does an already saturated market need yet more auteur guides? On this evidence, yes... Briskly paced, scalpel-sharp primers... The collective quality is high, the tone scholarly but not intimidating... A triumph of layout as much as content, each book glows with gorgeous on- and off-screen archive photography... Magnifique. -Total Film

Author Information

Jerome Larcher is a producer, scriptwriter and former editor of Cahiers du cinema.

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