Whatever you think of Chaplin, you can't deny he was one of a kind: the first Hollywood megastar, a comic icon and a consummate clown. Yes, his Little Tramp is grotesquely sentimental, his later films reek of self-indulgence and his work was continually overshadowed by his scandalous personal life. But on the evidence of this collection featuring 10 of his most celebrated films, how can you still not consider him a genius?
Watching Charlie's lone prospector in The Gold Rush perform a dance with rolls and forks is to be reminded of his sublime control of movement and gesture. It's hard not to feel a similar delight when The Great Dictator's titular tyrant performs a balletic duet with an inflatable globe, or when Chaplin teams up with Buster Keaton in Limelight...
DVD Extras:
Each title features an introduction by biographer David Robinson and a mini-documentary in which modern filmmakers evaluate Chaplin's legacy. The Dictator double disc has a doc that parallels the lives of Chaplin and Hitler, as well as colour on-set footage shot by Charlie's son Sydney. Limelight boasts some lively home movies, while The Gold Rush set has the 1925 silent version and its sound-era re-release - a completist's wet dream.
