Editorial review of Charlie Chaplin, the Forgotten Years courtesy of Amazon.com
While silent-film star Charlie Chaplin may have charmed American audiences with the onscreen antics of his loveable “Tramp” character, the actor’s private life was marred by a series of public scandals that eventually pushed him into exile.In addition to his penchant for much younger women–his fourth marriage to wife Oona (daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill) commenced when he was 54 and she was 18, prompting speculation that he was the inspiration for Nabokov’s LOLITA–Chaplin was unjustly hounded by Senator Joe McCarthy’s notorious anti-Communist witch hunts, for which the U.S. revoked his visa in 1952. A bitter and disenchanted Chaplin responded by moving his family to Switzerland, where he remained until his death in 1977. This documentary chronicles Chaplin’s life and career during those so-called “forgotten years” (during which he became a prolific and highly respected film-score composer) through previously unreleased archival footage and intimate interviews with his friends and family, including his children Geraldine, Michael, and Eugene.
Product Description of Charlie Chaplin – The Forgotten Years courtesy of Amazon.com
This documentary about Charlie Chaplin focuses on his late years when he lived with his family in a village on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. His personal life and his love for the circus are depicted as well as the late works of his professional career, including his extensive work as a composer. In addition, the film reveals Swiss intelligence agency’s file on Chaplin. Features numerous archive clips and new interviews with family members and various entertainment stars, including Petula Clark who sings her Chaplin-written hit This Is My Song in his villa.