Watched: Chaplin
Observations:
- This was strange, and compelling, and Robert Downey Jr. is incredible. Even with the dodgy cockney accent, he nails this.
- One thing that does undermine it a little is the extensive use of prosthetics to age Downey’s Chaplin in the latter third of the film (and in the present-day sequences) - the chief problem being that it’s not quite convincing enough. That said, in 1992, Downey was 26 at the time, and he at least pulls off that - it’s the performance of a man acting well beyond his years. But. When you put Benjamin Button alongside this, it’s hard not to notice the improvements in the intervening years.
- I thought I’d end up bored by this - it’s a weighty two and a half hours, and covers most of Chaplin’s career (devoting only about a minute to The Great Dictator, which was daring at least), but a combination of never letting up, the intrigue of Chaplin’s life and Downey make this a breeze. The story just flies off the screen.
- The wipe cuts were a little silly, though. That said, one sequence that involves speed control had me laughing. For a straight biopic, there’s some interesting visual and cinematic experimentation going on here, and more often that not it succeeds.
- Definitely worth watching. Like anything with Robert Downey Jr. in, really.
