#756: CHAPLIN, Charlie: Limelight (1952)
CHAPLIN, Charlie (United States)
Limelight [1952]
Spine #756
Blu-ray
Blu-ray
Charlie Chaplin's masterful drama about the twilight of a former vaudeville star is among the writer-director's most touching films. Chaplin plays Calvero, a once beloved musical-comedy performer, now a washed-up alcoholic who lives in a small London flat. A glimmer of hope arrives when he meets a beautiful but melancholy ballerina (Claire Bloom) who lives downstairs. An elegant mix of the comic and the tragic, this poignant movie also features Buster Keaton in an extended cameo, marking the only time the two silent comedy icons appeared in a film together. Made at a time when Chaplin was under attack by the American press and far right, Limelight was scarcely distributed in the United States upon its initial release, but it is now considered one of his essential and most personal works.
137 minutes
Black & White
Black & White
Monaural
1:37:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2015
Director/Writer
Charles Chaplin was 63 when he wrote and directed Limelight.
Other Chaplin films in the Collection:
#799: The Kid (1921)
#996: The Circus (1928/1969)
#680: City Lights (1931)
#543: Modern Times (1936)
#565: The Great Dictator (1940)
#615: The Gold Rush (1925/1942)
#652: Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
The Film
Other Chaplin films in the Collection:
#799: The Kid (1921)
#996: The Circus (1928/1969)
#680: City Lights (1931)
#543: Modern Times (1936)
#565: The Great Dictator (1940)
#615: The Gold Rush (1925/1942)
#652: Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
The Film
A
Film Rating (0-60):
The Booklet
Forty-four page booklet featuring an essay by critic Peter von Bagh and excerpts from an on-set piece by journalist Henry Gris.
Commentary
None.
Chaplin’s “Limelight”: Its Evolution and Intimacy
A video essay by Chaplin biographer David Robinson.
Interviews
With actors Bloom and Lloyd.
Chaplin Today: “Limelight”
A 2002 documentary on the film.
Archival audio recording
Of Chaplin reading two short excerpts from his novella Footlights.
Two short films
By Chaplin: A Night in the Show (1915) and the uncompleted The Professor (1919).
Outtake and two trailers
Extras Rating (0-40):
60
The ExtrasThe Booklet
Forty-four page booklet featuring an essay by critic Peter von Bagh and excerpts from an on-set piece by journalist Henry Gris.
Commentary
None.
Chaplin’s “Limelight”: Its Evolution and Intimacy
A video essay by Chaplin biographer David Robinson.
Interviews
With actors Bloom and Lloyd.
Chaplin Today: “Limelight”
A 2002 documentary on the film.
Archival audio recording
Of Chaplin reading two short excerpts from his novella Footlights.
Two short films
By Chaplin: A Night in the Show (1915) and the uncompleted The Professor (1919).
Outtake and two trailers
Extras Rating (0-40):
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