Audience Member
An interesting documentary that focuses largely on the unknown films & out takes of silent comedian master Charlie Chaplin.
Despite his flaws he clearly was a master filmmaker & this film demonstrates his mastery/obsession. It was interesting to see how he directed & constructed his scenes.
Although a little slow in parts & some out takes just went on forever it did give insight & is a must for Chaplin enthusiasts. Brownlow is truly one of the great Film Historians.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Review in the works for this Mini Series Gem
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Unknown Chaplin, a documentary made by Kevin Brownlow and David GIll in 1983 and newly released on DVD is as close to a perfect film documentary as you can get.
If youâ(TM)ve never watch a Chaplin film, or have claimed to see all his films â" then Unknown Chaplin will amaze you with the content it unravels.
Running 189 minutes, divided into 4 main chapter â~My Happiest Yearsâ(TM) , â~The Great Dictatorâ(TM) , â~Hidden Treasuresâ(TM) and â~Extrasâ~ - it is the ultimate in archaelogical finds.
Never before seen shots of Chaplin at work. Outtake after outtake of him refining jokes, reworking stage movements and prompts, and creating gags on the fly. The genius who many assumed meticulously planned his shots and scenes, reveals his ability to think within the moment â" if a gag doesnâ(TM)t feel right, he tries it again, perhaps with a different actor beside him.
It is almost implausible to think, that such a significant trove of incalculable work was hidden away for years from the public.
But there it was, in the private film vault of Lady Chaplin, not in decay reel tins, but pristine tins neatly laid out across shelving, each with a blank paper denoting their content - â~City Lightsâ(TM) , â~The Kidâ(TM).
The genius of Chaplinâ(TM)s work is one thing, the genius of Kevin Brownlow and David Gill to create this documentary is another.
Lovingly attached as a special extra on the DVD itself, Brownlow relates the story of obtaining the rights to publish such important film moments. Couple that with the fact the film is narrated by James Mason, who himself narrated the flawless earlier silent film documentary â~Hollywoodâ~ by Kevin Brownlow (which may never get a DVD release due to numerous right issues.)
Everything you witness in the documentary has never been shown to a film audience before. If anything, it lay stored in the Lady Chaplin vaults, occasionally viewed by a family member or maybe Chaplin himself in a moment of nostalgia.
Every scene in â~Unknown Chaplinâ~ will surprise you. Masonâ(TM)s narration guides you through different short films of Chaplin, pointing out key differences in the takes, suggesting reasonings for it, and somehow managing to bring you closer to Chaplin than anything you could have imagined. Watch the alternate opening to City Lights, or Chaplin playing it up in a Douglas Fairbank home movie of 1929 â" there he is portraying a Grecian spirit â" childishly playing with a globe of the earth; a scene that shakes you when you suddenly realise it is a precursor to his famous â~Great Dictatorâ(TM) balloon scene. The edit from the home movie to the film extract is wonderful.
The quality of this DVD is outstanding. From the definitive collation of the unseen Chaplin material, to the three additional extras:
â~How Unknown Chaplin was madeâ~ - approximately 12 minute interview with Kevin Brownlow about the journey to get this documentary to screen.
â~The Making of The Countâ(TM) - an insight to a Chaplin short, showing you the inner workings of him on set.
â~Chaplin Meets Harry Lauderâ(TM) â" two silent comedy geniuses play up for the camera in a lovely 10 minute shoot.
Unknown Chaplin is one of cinemaâ(TM)s finest documentaries.
Itâ(TM)s one of those rare moments in cinema history â" a trove of cinema magic and the silent film magician working together to bring us a documentary that makes you so lucky to be alive.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/18/23
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Audience Member
Charlie was amazingly tight-lipped about his working methods, so this was a fascinating behind the scenes look at how he created his magic.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/14/23
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Audience Member
this documentary gives amazing insight into chaplin's filmmaking process--which is totally batshit crazy, by the way. the way he made pictures, by the sheer force of his wit, will and stamina, would be absolutely outrageous in this day and age. we will never see this kind of inventiveness in cinema again. anyone who has an interest in chaplin, film history, or silent cinema has got to watch this. and it's narrated by james mason! double bonus.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/26/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Outstanding documentary, really gets into Chaplin's frame of mind.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/29/23
Full Review
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