Limelight

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Wayne K Aug 6 Limelight was the last film Charlie Chaplin made in America, despite the entire thing being set in London. He was kicked out after that for being a suspected communist, because apparently everyone back then was, and so this film marked the end of an era for him. Fittingly, it’s his most personal and autobiographical, but also in some ways his most self-indulgent. Chaplin stars as an aging, has-been comedian whose glory days are firmly in the past, ruminating on the essence of mortality and what it feels like to have been at one point adorned and now ignored or disregarded. The scenes between him and Claire Bloom are the most effective, as 2 characters at very different stages in life play off each other. Many have criticised these for being overlong and wordy, but for me the troubles lies when we see Calvero performing his stage shows. I was never a fan of Chaplin’s silent movie slapstick comedy routines, never finding them particularly funny, especially considering how much time is usually dedicated to them. Here we get the same thing. I understand why its included, with Chaplin looking back on the life of The Tramp, the character that shot him to global superstardom but left a long shadow over the rest of his career. It’s a tragic story with flickers of hope and dollops of humour, and if you can get past the bloated length and extended not-so-comedic set pieces, then you’ll find it to be a sweet and heartfelt look back on a once illustrious career, and a melancholic exploration of what life has in store for us once its well and truly past its peak. See more Steve D 09/20/2024 More proof Chap should have stuck to silent films. See more David C 04/20/2024 So great to see Chaplin and Keaton on the screen together, The ballet scenes were better than expected. See more Michael V 03/18/2024 The masterpiece of laughter and tears from the master of comedy! Limelight is a 1952 American comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin 🎭 It's ok, but I feel mixed about this one 😉 I'd recommend it if you like this genre, but if not then probably give it a miss 👍🏼👎🏼 I enjoyed the first half, but the second half dragged and some scenes should have been edited or cut… A fading music hall comedian tries to help a despondent ballet dancer learn to walk and to again feel confident about life. See more Denny S 10/02/2023 Made in 1952, this really should have been Chaplin's last film, as it seems to parallel his own later life as a fading performer from a different era falling in love with a younger woman, as he did in real life with Oona, who he married. Although there are some amusing moments (like his scene with Buster Keaton), the film is mostly a dramatic presentation. Although a bit mawkish at times, Chaplin handles drama quite well and Claire Bloom (in her first major film role) is perfect in the role of the young ballerina who befriends Chaplin. As mentioned, it would have made a fine coda for his career, but instead, Chaplin went on to make one more starring film "A King In New York" (1957) and directed "A Countess From Hong Kong"(1967). "Limelight" is absolutely worth seeing for the precision of a Chaplin performance and his skill as a film maker. Just don't expect a lot of laughs. See more Valerii Ege D 05/15/2023 Limelight is perhaps Charlie Chaplin's most emotional film. In a way, the film tells his own story. Throughout the film, he portrays his declining career. The advent of sound in cinema and the studio system significantly harmed him, and on top of that, he unintentionally became a part of the country's dark propaganda, which caused him to lose his former fame. In the film, he expresses that his vaudeville life is coming to an end, and that new artists need to be given a chance, but he also confesses his love for the stage. See more Read all reviews

Limelight

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