Oh my god, Charlie, get out of here. I keep thinking I see the last of him and he keeps creeping back up. I mean, I enjoyed your early work but you have totally overstayed your welcome. So surprisingly, this film isn't silent. His voice comes across as a bit silly having never heard it before this. I don't really like Chaplin on principle because he was a pedophile creep. Now, I think this was supposed to be a dark comedy but there is really nothing funny about it. It is actually pretty good but the humor part just wasn't achieved. Monsieur Verdoux is sacked from his job and cannot make any money. So, of course, to support his family he has to start killing widows and stealing their fortunes. Really, Charlie? That is the only solution you could think of? Well, there is a lot of political commentary in this movie which didn't exactly help his whole "I am not a communist" cause. A rather interesting film, but I am so over CC at this point. RATING: ***-- Interesting Facts: Chaplin bought the film from Orson Welles. Based on the life of Henri Desire Landru. Favorite of Chaplin's films.
I gave a huge, tearful speech about how silent films are over and how thoroughly I enjoyed them. Meanwhile, I still had one left. You know, silent followers, you could have corrected me! You made me look like an idiot out there!
Anyway, I will justify it by saying that there were several spoken lines in this film including a song by the Tramp. I recently had a conversation with someone where I told them I hated Mr. Bean and Monty Python. She said "Aw, next you are going to say you don't think Charlie Chaplin is funny!" I shifted nervously in my seat and replied "No, I love him!" This is simply untrue; I don't think he is funny at all. This movie is particularly humorless. A lot of the gags are stolen from A Nous la Liberte. The jokes are really brain dead and cheap; in one, a bug flies in Chaplin's face so he is unable to continue working. HA!
Chaplin, just give it up. Silent films are no longer popular. The witty dialogue of films like The Thin Man is what makes movies funny and entertaining not pantomiming. Blah.
RATING: *----
Interesting Facts:
Number 78 in AFI's top 100 movies list. This list is flawed!!!
Wow, only the machines talk but the humans don't! What a comment on industrialization!
Wow. The last silent film on the list. I used to whine all the time for these movies to end. Of course, when things really end we never want them to. I know I am being overly dramatic (I am allowed to watch silent films still after all) but I have had to say goodbye to a lot of things recently and it has been hard. Rip off the band aid, Amanda, and let's review this bitch.
So the reactionary Charlie Chaplin insisted on still doing silent movies and ended up making AFI's #11. I didn't really like it. I expected to be blown away because even some Chaplin haters liked this movie. I thought this was extremely dull. The gags weren't funny at all. The spaghetti? Really? Gold Rush was infinitely better. I really feel like the Tramp character didn't work here. So bye silent films. Kind of a rough send off.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
At least this made the transition easier.
Ranked number 1 in AFI's top romantic comedies. What?!?! When Harry Met Sally should win!
Set was visited by Einstein, Churchill, and Shaw. Oh my goodness!
The Gold Rush When I started watching this movie, I expected it to be just like a Buster Keaton. Of course, this movie was only about half as good as Buster's but still, it was refreshing to see a funny movie of quality after some of the shitty movies I have been viewing lately.
This film is about Tramp who goes to Alaska to search for gold. While there, he meets some really wacky characters including Big Jim and Georgia, a girl he is in love with.
I always try to get the bad stuff over with first and this review will be no different. First of all, the gags aren't as funny or daring as Keaton's. During the famous joke, when Chaplin is dancing, I just stared at the screen blank-faced. Not really my sense of humor. A couple of the gags I laughed out loud with like whenever the house was falling off the cliff. If you looking for a really funny movie, however, go for Keaton. This movie can also be slow in parts as well, which led to quite a few moments of boredom.
I did think this movie was entertaining most of the time. I wouldn't say you had to see if you were studying film, but it is kind of a light watch especially after the previous movie.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
The dancing roll scene was so popular that audiences had the projectionists replay it. Really? I mean, really??
Charles Chaplin's wife was originally going to play Georgia but she got pregnant so the role went to Georgia Hale. Chaplin was having an affair with Hale during production. What a jackass. You will never be Keaton, jerk!
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