Chaplin:
“If you want to understand me, watch my movies.”
Review:Sir
Richard Attenborough's (Shadowlands,
Ghandi) Chaplin, traces Charlie Chaplin's (Modern
Times, Gold
Rush) career from childhood through his last days. Robert Downy
Jr. brings the legend to life, proving he is one of the most talented
young actors living today. He was nominated for best actor that year,
along with Denzel Washington (Malcolm X)
and Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman). Anthony
Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, Remains
of the Day, Shadowlands) plays
a small role as an author who keeps the plot in order. Geraldine Chaplin
(Dr. Zhivago), who is actually Charlie
Chaplin's daughter, plays Chaplin's mentally ill mother. The young women
in Chaplin's life are very well cast as well and they include Diane
Lane, Milla Jovavich, and Penelope Ann Miller (Carlito's
Way). The conclusion of the film is one of my favorites as a
elderly wheelchair bound Chaplin watches his life's work, sitting there
alone in the darkness, staring up at the silver screen that had made
him famous. -Review by Aaron Caldwell
