Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Audiophilander (A) on December 31, 2003 at 08:25:45

In Reply to: Charles Chaplin posted by patrickU on December 31, 2003 at 07:03:03:

There are brilliant moments in many of their films as well, ever bit as beautiful and touching.

>>> "HE could let the faces speaks upon the screen without a word..." <<<

Ummm, like yeah; his best films were made before the advent of sound with the exception of City Lights and Modern Times (i.e., The Circus being released just as sound was taking hold)! By hat time he felt that sound would destroy the charm and pathos of his Little Tramp character.

Seriously, I get your point, but that could be said of many other fine actors and comedians as well. Furthermore, when Chaplin finally made the move to sound he did so rather awkwardly (i.e., in The Great Dictator) with less emphasis on the pathos and more on the slapstick and his later films are often pretentious and ponderous to the point of distraction.

FTR, in spite of how my criticism of Chaplin's work probably sounds, I really do like most of his films, but I must emphasize that he isn't my favorite silent era artist/comedian. IMHO, Harold Lloyd's films hold up better as do most of Keaton's and they had greater output; French comedian Max Linder was more inspired; comediannes like Marion Davies were often funnier and Mary Pickford could equal Chaplin's pathos and charm.

These are just my opinions of course; YMMV.

AuPh