# Your favorite Chaplin movie ?



## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

"the only genius to come out of the movie industry" said George Bernard Shaw about Charles Chaplin. Like many others I love Charlie and though I've watched all of his movies, but occasionally come back into him never get tired of watching those unique movies again and again... Now, what is your favorite Chaplin movie ? (and why ?)


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

My favorite is *City Lights*. I love all Charlie's silent long movies, but my prefrence of *City Lights* over his other (surely all great) films is based on these reasons :

1. The most thematic one of Charlie's movies. Each Sequence in this film is well-matched to the other ones, everything well-balanced, not even a little extra movement; a great contrast between scenes (Charlie meeting the girl in the street, Charlie and the Millionaire and it's the night time, the cafe scene, girl's home next morning, etc ... the film is entirely perfect directed. Of course we could see such perfection also in Goldrush , The Circus and Modern Times (and not in his later sound movies I think) but one could say easily Charlie is on the peak in City Lights.

2. The best film score I've ever heard (except Prokofiev's scores for Eisenstein), beuatiful melodies, featuring Charlie's own compositions plus popular spanish songs and tradtional rhythms in both burlesque and love scenes Just remember the melody of the flower girl (originally composed by José Padilla) or the string ostinato with flute and oboe motives in boxing scene or the heavily dramatic ending passage , etc ... with a wonderful orchestration by Alfred Newman and Arthur Johnston.

3. Acting , so artistic and effective, not only by the principle roles (Charlie and Virginia Cherrill) but also supported by very good secondary roles, all seem appeared at their best ...

4. The best ending : when the girl holds Charlie's hand, touching his hand, she finally knows that he's the man she'd always had him in her dreams, the man who was her saviour, and he's not a rich but a poor tramp : no one can forget that childish innocent face of Charlie, with the Rose in his hand , looking to the girl, which brings tears into our eyes ! Such a strong ending can be found nowhere in Charlie's movies, even the wonderful ending of Modern Times, the endless road.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm going to have to check out City Lights. So far, my favorite is Modern Times, mainly because Paulette Goddard is a perfect foil for him.


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## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

Charlie Chaplin is my favorite actor!!

Here is my favorite films of him: 

*1. City Lights*

- One of the greatest ending in history.. So touching and beautifully made.

*2. The Gold Rush *

- The scene where Chaplin is eating is his shoe is one of the greatest comedic moments in history.
*
3. The Kid*

- Perfect blend of pathos and comedic genius. :')
*
4. The Circus*

- Comedic gold!

*5. The Great Dictator*

- The dancing in the Globe scene is a favorite..


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

City Lights, sure - although I'll have to confess, I haven't seen all his films, not even all the most important ones. City Lights addresses and illustrates the concept of Goodness - not something that many films dare to do - and succeeds.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

peeyaj said:


> Charlie Chaplin is my favorite actor!!
> 
> Here is my favorite films of him:
> 
> ...


Hard to argue with this.

As with my composer-overrate-underrate comment, though, I can acknowledge greatness without having a personal attraction for something. Great as Chaplin was, I must be honest and say that *The Circus *is the only Chaplin movie I can watch again and again. I have a personal preference for Harold Lloyd (*The Kid Brother *is one of my all-time favorites) and Buster Keaton ("*One Week*", although just a two-reeler, may be, for me, the only perfect comedy.)

No accounting for taste, sometimes....


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## pollux (Nov 11, 2011)

Completely agree with Il_Penseroso. You forgot to say that the boxing scene is probably the most hilarious ever!


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## andi (Feb 11, 2012)

yes yes


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

My favorite Chaplin film is Blake Edwards' "The Party"


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

bigshot said:


> My favorite *Chaplin* film is Blake Edwards' "The Party"


 *???*


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

If you watch it, there are a lot of similarities between Hirundi Bakshi and the Little Tramp.


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## robert (Feb 10, 2007)

One of my All time Favorites DUDE

The Big Lebowski
Jeff Bridges
John Goodman
The Late Ben Gazzara


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

bigshot said:


> If you watch it, there are a lot of similarities between Hirundi Bakshi and the Little Tramp.


I've watched it a hundred times ! As a matter of fact It's my only favorite Blake Edward's movie ...


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I also haven't seen all of them but_ *Modern Times*_ stands out. Especially the eating machine scene. Hilarious!...


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## tgtr0660 (Jan 29, 2010)

Il_Penseroso said:


> My favorite is *City Lights*. I love all Charlie's silent long movies, but my prefrence of *City Lights* over his other (surely all great) films is based on these reasons :
> 
> 1. The most thematic one of Charlie's movies. Each Sequence in this film is well-matched to the other ones, everything well-balanced, not even a little extra movement; a great contrast between scenes (Charlie meeting the girl in the street, Charlie and the Millionaire and it's the night time, the cafe scene, girl's home next morning, etc ... the film is entirely perfect directed. Of course we could see such perfection also in Goldrush , The Circus and Modern Times (and not in his later sound movies I think) but one could say easily Charlie is on the peak in City Lights.
> 
> ...


Fantastic post. This movie is pure magic. Things just don't get much better than this movie. For all the aforementioned reasons. Whoever has seen that ending and has not felt something in his/her heart, that person is actually dead.

Gold Rush and The Great Dictator come close. Modern Times is also great. And the fantastic, late, non-Tramp Limelight, whose music score, again by the Master himself, is a thing of pure beauty.

Charles Chaplin, in my opinion the greatest genius in the history of this art, cinema.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

peeyaj said:


> Charlie Chaplin is my favorite actor!!
> 
> Here is my favorite films of him:
> 
> ...


If you swap four and five round this would be my list.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

The Great Dictator, probably because I've seen more clips from it. I don't think I've seen a complete silent movie. 

The 1930's are when cinema starts getting interesting for me. Mainly for the femme fatales.


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## Arsakes (Feb 20, 2012)

I don't remember the name, but It was about WW1 and German Empire happening in rural areas.


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## Hausmusik (May 13, 2012)

Il_Penseroso said:


> "the only genius to come out of the movie industry" said George Bernard Shaw about Charles Chaplin.


Well, Shaw died in 1950. He only got to see the "movie industry" in its infancy. (Think what Hitchcock was about to produce in the 50s, for example.) Also, he had many weird opinions, especially when it came to classical music! But even he got to live to see Orson Welles in his prime. I wonder when he made this comment?

But anyway, I share his high opinion of C.C. My favorites are the obvious ones: _City Lights_ and _Modern Times_. _The Gold Rush_ has great scenes though, especially the gun "fight" in the cabin. _The Kid_ is sweet but often saccharine. _The Great Dictator_ is uneven. Have not yet seen _Monsieur Verdoux_.


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

Hausmusik said:


> Well, Shaw died in 1950. He only got to see the "movie industry" in its infancy. (Think what Hitchcock was about to produce in the 50s, for example.) Also, he had many weird opinions, especially when it came to classical music! But even he got to live to see Orson Welles in his prime. I wonder when he made this comment?


I agree, Shaw has made so many weird comments on composers, especially one of my most favorite composers Grieg ! 
I don't know exactly when, but it's just a beautiful quote which a great man of art has made about another great one !



> Have not yet seen Monsieur Verdoux.


The last speech of Monsieur Verdoux is electrifying !


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