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By Anne Navarro
Catholic News Service
NEW YORK (CNS) -- It is nearly impossible to estimate the remarkable impact Charlie Chaplin has had -- and continues to have -- on all facets of cinema. Richard Schickel's fascinating documentary, "Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin" (MK2), illuminates the genius of a man who, for an entire generation, dominated audiences the world over. And even today, actors, directors and Hollywood craftspeople try to imitate Chaplin's astonishing energy and brilliance in the hopes of achieving even a sliver of Chaplain's success in entertaining the masses.
Chaplin's beloved Little Tramp is easily the most recognizable cinematic icon. Even younger audiences who may not be able to name the actor can identify with the funny little mustache, the bowler hat and walking cane, along with the wobbling, goofy gait. What Schickel's documentary does is to present a comprehensive overview of the man, his work and his life.
Schickel, who wrote, produced and directed the documentary, has made ample use of film footage from some of Chaplin's most memorable films and shorts. Any Chaplin fan will be pleased at the amount of screen time that is devoted to greats such as "City Lights," "The Kid," "Modern Times," and many others, including shorts, outtakes, newsreel footage and home movies. The documentary offers even the uninitiated an opportunity to appreciate and admire not only the sheer talent Chaplin possessed, but the vigor and relentless hard work Chaplin employed throughout his life.
It is not just film clips that strike a chord in this documentary. It is also the interviews with directors, performers, Chaplin's colleagues, film critics and his biographers that underscore Chaplin's lasting and permeating authority in the world of cinema.
To watch Martin Scorsese wax poetically about Chaplin's "A Woman of Paris" and the controversial "Monsieur Verdoux" is to see that the director has been seriously affected by Chaplin's work. Similarly, Woody Allen opines that "City Lights" is perhaps one of the great cinematic explorations of love. Several others -- 19 interviews in all -- recall either seeing Chaplin for the first time or the hundredth. Three of his children talk about what life was like with Daddy Charlie. Home movies with a much older Chaplin preening and posing for the camera emphasize once again his ravenous desire to be in front of an audience and feel their adoration.
In today's world, where movie moguls and executives are constantly trying to impress audiences with over-the-top special effects and razzmatazz explosions and car chases, Chaplin's physical prowess is eye-popping. Viewers must remind themselves that Chaplin did not employ a stunt double or computer-generated effects to realize his hilarious gags. In one scene featured in the documentary, Chaplin is sporting an old-fashioned men's bathing suit which exposes his lean, muscular legs; one is taken aback to discover the sheer power that those legs possessed in prancing, jumping, climbing or simply twirling about.
A difficult and tragic childhood, combined with an unquenchable need for audience recognition, seemed to have driven Chaplin. His movie stardom gave him an unprecedented level of celebrity and mass adulation. The Tramp figure spurred the first ever multimedia merchandising barrage with Chaplin toys, games, look-alike contests, comic strips and animated cartoons.
But it was his uncanny ability to suggest that ordinary objects were actually fantastical ones -- such as when the Tramp boils and eats an ordinary shoe as if it were the most delicious Dover sole -- that made him a comedic master. Yet his physical reactions to situations could convey such genuine emotions that his films were never without heart. He was a perfectionist who did scenes again and again. And unlike most in Hollywood now he poured his own money into his productions.
" Charlie" also delves into Chaplin's often controversial private life, which included four marriages with younger women, very public and personally devastating divorces, persecution by the FBI for his political leanings and a self-imposed exile from the United States.
Expansive, insightful and entertaining, Schickel's documentary is a treat to enjoy and affords viewers the chance to see Charlie Chaplin as an icon, a comedian and a man.
Because of references to Chaplin's romantic entanglements, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
* Navarro is a part-time reviewer in the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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© Copyright 2006 Catholic Communications Corp.
© Copyright 2006 Catholic Communications Corp.