Rating: Summary: Another triumph Review: A really outstanding collection, with very fine video and sound quality, and some terrific supplemental features. A must buy!
I'm taking off a star because of the unforgiveable packaging errors--Disc One is really Disc Two, and the packaging is likewise confusing and mislabeled. Really no excuse for that. Sorry, Charlie!
Rating: Summary: We're not worthy! Review: After the first Chaplin Collection, I expected a terrific second set, but this far surpassed my expectations. My sole concern for the set as announced was that all the First National shorts would not be included, and that only the three which Chaplin compiled into the feature, THE CHAPLIN REVUE, would be present. But lo and behold, THE CHAPLIN REVUE is now a two-disc set which includes the four additional First Nationals! True, the other three are presented in Chaplin's 1959 compilation format, but still, it's all here. CITY LIGHTS, THE KID, and THE CIRCUS are all given two-disc presentations with tons of extras, while MONSIEUR VERDOUX, A WOMAN OF PARIS, and A KING IN NEW YORK receive one disc apiece, in which there are still some dandy bonus features. Add to the pot a widescreen version of the over two hours long CHARLIE, Richard Schickel's recent and acclaimed documentary, and you've got an amazing wealth of Chaplin material that will keep enthusiasts busy for weeks. The visual and audio quality is stunning, and the packaging quite attractive. When you divide the cost of the set by these twelve well-packed discs, it seems a financial pittance for a fortune's worth of Chaplin. I could have paid three times the amount for this material and not felt cheated. Unconditionally recommended.
Rating: Summary: What an incomparable genius Review: Charles Chaplin was the greatst cinematic genius of the 20th century. His brilliance was celebrated and recognized for decades, but then America brutally turned against him. How it grieved him that his adopted homeland, the country that had given him fame, riches and untold fortune, denounced him as a Communist and basically didn't allow him back into the country. What a singular disgrace. His story is told magnificently in the documentary included, "Charlie - The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin." I've watched this portion alone five times and haven't wearied of it yet. It tells Charlie's story in a simple, chronological and elegant manner, including interviews with sons Michael and Sydney, as well as daughter Geraldine. The color home movies from his years in Switzerland alone make this worth the price of admission.The movies are all stellar and includes my personal favorite Charlie film, the vastly underrated Monsieur Verdoux. What a scathing satire this was, how it showcases his incomparable talent. A bomb when it was released in 1948, it has worn well, though one wonders it was received upon it's release. America was not ready for this biting indictment of its culture. If you're a long-time Chaplin fan or a Charlie newbie, this set has something for everyone. There was only Chaplin and this set shows the entire spectrum. My highest recommendation.
Rating: Summary: A Must-Own Review: Hardly anything to quibble with here. Chaplin is a genius to us adults, and hilarious to the ten-year old in my household. The major films are beautifully restored. I love watching them. Two quibbles: why weren't the excellent shorts given the same restoration quality? Also -- the two disks in my copy of "The Chaplin Revue" are mislabled. #1 is actually #2 and vice versa. I returned the set twice to try and correct this problem, but each time it was the same. Asleep at the wheel, Amazon. I decided to just live with it, which bothers me. Still I love watching these films and you will too.
Rating: Summary: An Excellent Package - Far Exceeded my Expectations Review: I'll try not to repeat what the others have posted here - only to say that as a Chaplin fan this set of DVD's is beyond wonderful - the print quality, the intelligent presentation and wealth of material have far exceeded any Chaplin package I have seen to date. An absolutely fantastic set of DVD's. We owe a debt of gratitude also to the Chaplin family for their involvement in this and the previous DVD package, which incidently is excellent too.
Rating: Summary: A preview of what will surely be a remarkable DVD set Review: If this set is anything like the first Warner Bros. Chaplin Collection, then we are in for a real treat! The first set was lovingly restored and each film had lots of special features, so my expectations for this new set are just as high. Whereas the first set had 4 movies, this one has 7. With the exception of "The Kid", "City Lights", and "Monsieur Verdoux" these movies aren't so high profile as the first set. "The Circus" is terrific. I'm no film expert and I can't comment on all of the artistic merit these movies have, but I know that Chaplin certainly is entertaining. I've already preordered mine!
Rating: Summary: A Gem!! Review: Marvellous compilation, but you already knew that reading the other reviews. Just a couple of issues; I agree with A viewer from Culver City, CA United States, that the shorts should have been restored to the same standard as the others, it immediately strikes you if you are watching on a big-screen front projection. And, just like the GOLD RUSH in the first set, it would have been nice to have the original versions of THE KID in Disc-2. I fervently hope that they bring out a complete and restored collection of the shorts very soon--the ones that are available in the market today aren't of the same standard.
Rating: Summary: The best versions of Chaplin's films yet released! Review: The Chaplin Collection Volume 2 (and Volume 1 for that matter) are the very best editions of the Chaplin works in existence! There are many inferior prints of Chaplin movies out there, but the good folks at MK2 have completely restored and cleaned up each movie so they look almost like new. Only with these sets can you see the movies in anything resembling what they must have looked like in the theaters when the prints were new. There a few minor things I wished they'd have done differently. For instance the fine introductions to each movie by esteeemed Chaplin biographer David Robinson should have been on the same disk with the movies themselves and not on the extras disks. Also, on the Kid (fabulously restored), they use the version re-released by Chaplin in 1971, which deletes three of Edna Purviance's scenes (Edna plays the Kid's mother in this movie) Those three scenes are included on the extras disk, but I wish they wouldn't consider the version of "The Kid" that Chaplin tampered with fifty years later as the "official version" But the Chaplin Estate had final say and it was (similarly in the first boxed set, the shorter, Chaplin narrarated re-release of the Gold Rush was considered the official version, but they also included the longer original silent version on the second disk) But that is nitpicking. The Chaplin Collection is the definitive edition of all Chaplin's great movies. Both box sets are essential for any serious film collector's film library. These are the editions of Chaplin's great movies that you will want to have and keep and watch over and over for years to come!
Rating: Summary: The best versions of Chaplin's films yet released! Review: The Chaplin Collection Volume 2 (and Volume 1 for that matter) are the very best editions of the Chaplin works in existence! There are many inferior prints of Chaplin movies out there, but the good folks at MK2 have completely restored and cleaned up each movie so they look almost like new. Only with these sets can you see the movies in anything resembling what they must have looked like in the theaters when the prints were new. There a few minor things I wished they'd have done differently. For instance the fine introductions to each movie by esteeemed Chaplin biographer David Robinson should have been on the same disk with the movies themselves and not on the extras disks. Also, on the Kid (fabulously restored), they use the version re-released by Chaplin in 1971, which deletes three of Edna Purviance's scenes (Edna plays the Kid's mother in this movie) Those three scenes are included on the extras disk, but I wish they wouldn't consider the version of "The Kid" that Chaplin tampered with fifty years later as the "official version" But the Chaplin Estate had final say and it was (similarly in the first boxed set, the shorter, Chaplin narrarated re-release of the Gold Rush was considered the official version, but they also included the longer original silent version on the second disk) But that is nitpicking. The Chaplin Collection is the definitive edition of all Chaplin's great movies. Both box sets are essential for any serious film collector's film library. These are the editions of Chaplin's great movies that you will want to have and keep and watch over and over for years to come!
Rating: Summary: Nothing Short of Excellent Review: The French have done it again! A French company nontheless, have remastered and put-together these brilliant and extremely well-crafted DVDs of Charlie Chaplin's great movie classics. These aren't just the movie, done satisfactorily - these are DVDs that fully understand that Chaplin was a genius and his works were masterpieces to be preserved for all time! Fans could wish for little better than this box set. There's almost too much here - but none of it is overkill, redundant, or "fluff" in any way. The movies within this box set should set a precedent in standards of exactly how to preserve a legendary film masterpice and prepare it for the mass-market in a way that is profitable, attractive, and yet all the while deserving of it's material in every way. The mastering on these DVDs is done to perfection and the picture & sound quality is top-notch! Thankfully, someone got the rights to distribute this material who isn't just in it for a quick buck. In other words, Chaplin's films fell into the right hands who treated them right and gave them the level of respect that they deserve to be shared with fans everywhere to enjoy in the fullest and richest way possible to date. Too often, quick & dirty moneymaking beancounters get their filtty vampire hooks into a great classic and put it out cheaply to simply cash in quick, all the while robbing the fans of quality and presentation in the name of corporate "profit" alone. Not so with these DVDs of Charlie Chaplin's output! Quite the contrary: every effort seems to have been made to do this "right". God bless them too. If you are a Chaplin fan, you surely will agree and be as thankful as I.
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