DVD Spotlight

By Joe Galm

A confession: I’ve never been a huge fan of the traditional biopic and this really isn’t an exception. Still, the genre and, more specifically, this film have a steady following and fans will rejoice that Chaplin will once again grace DVD shelves for the first time since the discontinuation of its 2000 release.

Produced in 1992, Chaplin didn’t fare so well at the box office despite receiving moderate critical approval. Awards circles took a bit more notice but it still failed to produce Oscar gold in any of the three categories it was nominated for (Best Actor - Robert Downey Jr., Best Art/Set Direction, Best Original Score). The most deserving of which was clearly Downey Jr. who, until recently, most had forgotten can actually act. His mannerisms and ability to demonstrate the great Mr. Chaplin’s own physical comedy comes off as genuine. The performance itself remains more of an imitation as opposed to actually capturing the man’s actual spirit but it’s not at all pretentious but instead ultimately charming.

Most of the film’s problems lie outside of the performances. Despite the narrative being loosely based on Chaplin's autobiography, the film takes no risks in terms of exposing his genius. They simply write it off as being an inborn gift and rarely show his struggle as an artist. Because of this, we’re left with little else outside a straightforward biopic, the kind that is dramatized at all the right moments that we’ve seen countless times before. There’s nothing there that merits its 135-minute running time.

At times Attenborough tries to be a bit more creative but he seems to restrain himself greatly. He uses classic silent-era edits and wipes which adds a nice little stylistic touch but such examples are so infrequent that their intent feels muted. There is a great scene towards the middle of the film where our cast of characters act out an innocent little chase scene in the style of silent film tomfoolery. It was a bold move to include such slapstick stylings and it’s arguably one of the more interesting moments in the entire film. To see such a competent parallel of contemporary filmmaking and its silent roots is refreshing to see and intriguing to boot. It begs the question of whether or not these motifs could have a home in modern cinema by giving us a glimpse into the past. Due to the lack of further inclusions, one can infer that Attenborough feels that it does not. I respectfully disagree.