Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema

Using his complete access to the Chaplin Archives, film historian Vance creates a compelling portrait of the cinema's first international star: a moviemaker who blended comedy and pathos and whose most complex character was his own off-screen self. Vance, who helped Charlie Chaplin's ex-wife Lita Grey pen her memoirs and has co-authored biographies of silent-film comedy greats Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, discerningly examines both Chaplin's groundbreaking work and the controversial man behind it. More of an encyclopedia than a biography--information from Chaplin's memoirs is frequently quoted--Vance's book shows admiration and sympathy for its subject, plus an extensive understanding of Chaplin's films, which are evaluated at length. But the most impressive and incisive material here are the photos, some of which have never been published before. Family portraits, film-set snapshots and frame enlargements from movies reveal a somber, often fragile-looking young man whose whole personality, not just his physical appearance, is altered when he's playing a role. As Chaplin's career soared in the early 20th century--along with his reputation as a perfectionist and his predilection for teenage girls--the photos capture his enlivening confidence. Later images reveal a man pained by legal battles and, eventually, a family patriarch at peace after marrying Eugene O'Neill's daughter, Oona. Comprehensive captions provide enough details to stand alone from the rest of the text. Released on the heels of a documentary about Chaplin and restored DVDs of his classic films, this book makes a sound introduction to, and study of, the great filmmaker's work. 500 b&w photos.