Charlie Chaplin 3 Disc Collector's Edition (2008)

Vintage Charlie Chaplin

This disc set contains many vintage silent films in the comic style that Charlie Chaplin among others made popular. They are still funny for me although, if made in today's world, would be unlikely to find much favor because they would be considered politically incorrect and unsophisticated even though they required an excellent sense of timing and an acting style all of it's own. April 28, 2008

Essential for any Chaplin Collection as a supplement to be taken three times a day with every meal

Certainly some of these are available elsewhere. For example, it is still essential to get the Kid from The Kid (2 Disc Special Edition) including for the great extras included there; this short feature is essential viewing, and extremely telling in this present epidemic of officials separating boys from fathers through the system of divorce and child custody. This one brief film tells us much about that agony and injustice, and stands alone. Nevertheless, its inclusion here is very very welcome.

You also will discover such excellent and well-known shorts as Easy Street, The Immigrant (which speaks to our current immigration policy and includes an amazing sequence of emotional sighting of the Statue of Librety followed by a swift roping in of the immigrants), the incredible and excellent the Rink which truly displays the remarkable inventive acrobatic nature of Chaplin's early art, as does Making A Living Behind the Screen with a great pie-throwing scene and other staples of slapstick comedy, here done with style. The Burlesque on Carmen is included as well as several other famous titles mentioned in books but not otherwise viewed, including the very early and famous Kid Auto Races at Venice, here in a very viewable print of Chaplin before his character became charming, as he continually wanders in front of a newscamera to strut and pose until Mack Sennet drives him forcefully away. This print seems to have been cut at the ending close-up, but is very valuable nevertheless, and entertaining, as we still find the public making a scene in front of news cameras, or extras in films stealing the camera.

The quality of some prints is challenged to say the least, and the rag time or classical piano does not often match the action; nevertheless this collection, especially at this very affordable price, is essential and entertaining viewing. Certainly you can find other Chaplin collections at a reduced price in your local dollar discount chain; just get them all, as none are comprehensive and they are all very good.

Be sure to see as well his A King in New York / A Woman of Paris (2 Disc Special Edition); I mean to indicate the second of this double feature which explores the immorality of Hollywood, transposed to Paris. Also see the interesting moral statements in the late Monsieur Verdoux, and above all in this era of globalization and warfare The Great Dictator (2 Disc Special Edition). And how about Modern Times (2 Disc Special Edition); well, hey, just get as much as you can, including the final appearance of the Little Tramp in the often overlooked but excellent The Circus (2 Disc Special Edition). We shall not see the likes of this again. March 26, 2008

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