Chaplin - BLU-RAY

ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. Captures the essence of comic genius Charlie Chaplin in a compelling, nuanced performance that earned him Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor. Director Richard Atten boroughs well-crafted portrait traces Chaplins impoverished London upbringing, extraordinary success as an actor and director, his troubled marriages, scandalous affairs, shocking exile to Switzerland and his triumphant return to Hollywood. The huge star-studded cast includes Kevin Kline, Dan Aykroyd, Milla Jovovich, Diane Lane and Geraldine Chaplin (as her own grandmother), and Downeys astonishing mimicry of Chaplins gait, gestures and accents complete a dazzlingly authentic portrait of one of cinemas first pop culture icons. Directed by Sir Richard Attenborough.

In late 1914, Charlie Chaplin was paid the then-unprecedented salary of $1,250 per week (with a bonus of $10,000) in exchange for signing a one-year contract with the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company. The resulting 14 films he created for Essanay find Chaplin further experimenting with new cinematic techniques, while continuing to add complexities and pathos into his celebrated Little Tramp character, soon to become immortalized as the face, hat, and mustache of modern screen comedy. This 2-disc Blu-ray set features 15 newly restored films-His New Job, A Night Out, The Champion, In the Park, A Jitney Elopement, The Tramp, By the Sea, His Regeneration, Work, A Woman, The Bank, Shanghaied, A Night in the Show, Charlie Chaplin's Burlesque on Carmen, and Police. All were scanned under the aegis of Association Chaplin at a resolution of 2,000 lines from original 35mm prints gathered from archives all over the world, then digitally assembled and restored, a collaborative effort of Lobster Films and Cineteca di Bologna. These editions feature scores from some of the foremost composers and musicians of silent film accompaniment, including Timothy Brock, Robert Israel, and The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

Employing state-of-the-art restoration techniques, it is far easier than ever before to see the real genius of Charlie Chaplin as it was seen by fans decades ago. This must-have, internationally- gathered, 34-film collection that featured the clever star doing what he did so well without ever uttering a word... making people laugh!