Not only a great film, but insight into a great man

This luscious, beautiful directed and expertly acted film is one of my all time favourites. As the title will tell you, this is life story of Charlie Chaplin, so one the greatest screen comedians of all time. It was probably a little curious to think of casting the American Robert Downey Jnr as the working class English actor, but the minute he turns up on the screen, any fears are instantly dismissed.

One of the reasons why a film like this is so important is, it will help future generations realise how big and important this man was to the film industry. There is no equivalent today that writes, directs, acts, produces and composes the music for films that break box office records. But it also shows the man as an artist and a visionary especially when he's being criticised for his work on The Great Dictator to only show he was ahead of his time. But not too far ahead for it to be a posthumous classic as by the time he released the film the world was at war.

Admittedly this film does not even begin to really give a full insight into Chaplin's life, for that I suggest reading Chaplin's autobiography, simply named My autobiography. The film is a perfect companion and warm up piece to this in depth and rewarding book.

There are also some fine performances from a cast of actors that were either great at the time or were due to see success, John Thaw, Dan Ackroyd, Anthony Hopkins, a very young Milla Jovovich, Kevin Kline (who was born to play Douglas Fairbanks) and even a pre X-Files David Duchovny. This all adds to the charm of the film.

I have watched this film many times and shall do so in future. I hope this review makes you do the same.