6 reviews for Charlie Chaplin
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Charlie Chaplin
by Peter Ackroyd
Description:
He was the very first icon of the silver screen and is one of the most recognizable of Hollywood faces, even a hundred years after his first film. But what of the man behind the moustache. Peter Ackroyd’s new biography turns the spotlight on Chaplin’s life as well as his work, from his humble theatrical beginnings in music halls to winning an honorary Academy Award. Everything is here, from the glamor of his golden age to the murky scandals of the 1940s and eventual exile to Switzerland. There are charming anecdotes along the way: playing the violin in a New York hotel room to mask the sound of Stan Laurel frying pork chops and long Hollywood lunches with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. This masterful brief biography offers fresh revelations about one of the most familiar faces of the last century and brings the Little Tramp vividly to life.
About The Author
Peter Ackroyd is an award-winning historian, biographer, novelist, poet and broadcaster. He is the author of the acclaimed non-fiction bestsellers London: The Biography, Thames: Sacred River and London Under; biographies of figures including Charles Dickens, William Blake, Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock; and a multi-volume history of England. He has won the Whitbread Biography Award, the Royal Society of Literature’s William Heinemann Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award and the South Bank Prize for Literature. He holds a CBE for services to literature.
Skryf Review
“Excellent Book”
Abbas
I finally had viewed The Dictator and was so impressed I had to know more about Chaplin. I felt this book did a nice mini overall view. Chaplin was a very complex man. With such a tough early life it’s a wonder he stayed on the right side of the law. I may now have to check out Fred Karno, the inventor of slapstick. I did like how the author explained the film edits & speed changes that created the look of the Mack Sennett comedies. As well as how perfectly timed and rehearsed all that slapstick was. I never thought about it! It just shows how much art went into their craft!Stan Laurel was quoted in the early part of the book. They had met when they worked in Fred Karno’s troupe. The mention of that name made me smile. How I wish there mandatory classes in comedy and theater for young people. Swear words and bathroom humor isn’t necessary for laughter.
Kahaan
I have long wanted to read a book on Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). I had discovered that there was a lot more to this man than I had previously known. I knew only that he was a very funny English pantomime actor famed for his slapstick humor of the silent film era. He was the “Little Tramp”, with his sparkling blue eyes, and little black hat perched upon his tousled mane of dark curly hair. But who was this man?There is more, the poverty and hardships of his childhood including an alcoholic and absentee father, life in workhouses and orphanages, a mother committed to an insane asylum. His experiences as a street urchin, his move to the States and all his years in the film industry. The McCarthy Era and why he moved to Switzerland. The book follows through to his death in 1977.In a biography I want the facts, the good and the bad, and this book delivers. Not just comedy, but also controversy and scandal surround Charlie Chaplin. On completion of the book you have a rounded, balanced idea of Charlie’s personality, the events of his life, the times he lived through and a detailed description of very many of his films. I am totally satisfied with this book. The narration of the audiobook by Ralph Lister was easy to follow. I have no complaints whatsoever on this account.
Hiten
Charlie Chaplin. No doubt a genius. I figured there was much to be learned from this bio. I’d read Peter Ackroyd’s novel, English Music, and so knew he is a fine writer. And I was right, there was much to be learned. But a lot of such learning was distasteful because of Charlie Chaplin, the man.
Scandals abounded but so did his art. He was a tireless worker. A major hurdle came with the “talkies” (motion pictures with sound). A hurdle—he had a weak voice and felt all his art was in his ability to pantomime—he never overcame. It was quite a crazy life. I remember John Belushi saying that his comedy sprung from rage. This would certainly apply to Mr. Chaplin. (As well as several other demons driving him.)
I don’t know that I learned anything particularly about genius, but I did learn a lot about what drives a human being to achieve great heights in art.It’s a very interesting book. And if you’re interested in art, it’s even more interesting. If you’re interested in acting, you will learn a tremendous amount.
Kalgi
There are many things to dislike about Chaplin but to not like this book about some of things is inappropriate. Ackroyd in no way goes out of his way to trash Chaplin as has been claimed in more than one review here. Chaplin did that himself. Writing in somewhat of a post-Stendhal manner that entails an emphasis on psychological insight, Ackroyd tells a fairly succinct warts-and-all biography that I found enlightening as can be expected from the seemingly 100th biography of Chaplin. It would be impossible to write a biography of Chaplin that doesn’t include the praise that his films certainly deserve and that praise is certainly here. What Ackroyd reveals is that like many great artists that pour their entire existence into their art – the private side of such humans often involves many seemingly necessitated oversights.
This book, and no book ever will diminish what Chaplin gave to the world. Great comedians are almost always born of great suffering and many times, and in equal measure they leave just as many scars as laugh lines. Ackroyd succeeds in making that very clear in a relatively brief .
Anupama
Peter Ackroyd shows how Charlie Chaplin was much more than a Keystone cop or a sad tramp in this overview of his full and difficult life. Chaplin was also a director, producer, distributor and the founder of United Artists. He even seems to be a crude pioneer of method acting. While famous for his silent roles, while others clung to the past, he was able to transition to “talkies”. In his last film (1967) he embraced color, directing Marlon Brando and Sophia Lauren in the “Countess From Hong Kong”.There is a glimpse of his marriage to Oona (who lives on in crossword puzzles) O’Neill. Through what is available to the public, she seems to be an ideal 1950’s style doting wife. Behind the scenes there is door slamming/locking, abuse of their children and plenty of alcohol. Not noted here is that she was also the object of J.D. Salinger’s affection; he never forgot her. It is hard to say if she made the right choice between these two suitors.There are good photos that match the text. There is an index and a bibliography. Both appear extensive but I didn’t use either.Do not expect a full scale biography. As defined by the title, Ackroyd condensed this immense life for a general reader. It can be considered an “Introduction to Charlie Chaplin”. This life was so full that any of the films, aspects or time periods of his life could fill a book, and as time goes on, undoubtedly will.