Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent films and magnificent man
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 these four films, spanning thirty years. We open up with the little tramp and conclude with the haunting, depressing, yet poignant "Limelight." This last film is my favorite of them all, with Charlie's unique, beautiful voice speaking so softly to a 19 year-old Claire Bloom. It was send chills down your spine to see his work (finally) restored to its original glory. The final scene, with Keaton standing behind, when they slowly draw the sheet over his face signifies the artistic death of Charlie Chaplin. No one went out with more grace and pathos.If you're a long-time Chaplin fan or a Charlie newbie, this set has something for everyone, from the globe dance in "The Great Dictator" to the depressing scenes of Calvero unable to make his audience laugh anymore. It's all here and it will touch anyone with a love of film. There was only Chaplin and this set shows the entire spectrum. My highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Four of the best
Review: Four movies. Three comedies and one drama. These are not merely four of Charlie Chaplin's greatest films; they are four of the greatest films of all time. They're funny, they're sad, but most of all they're passionate. Chaplin has often been criticized for putting too much sentimentality into his films, and it's a fair complaint. But for my money, no one did it as successfully as Chaplin.
The four films in this collection represent a sizable range. The comedy is astonishing, of course, but so is the amount of emotion. Watching them all in a short space of time really highlights Chaplin's strengths as a director. I love the way he lets people's faces tell the story; no overuse of dialog cards is required. Look at the scene in MODERN TIMES where the unemployed father wonders how he will feed his children. The camera lingers on his face, which tells everything. Or look at the New Year's Eve sequence in GOLD RUSH where the lonely tramp gazes upon the happy expressions of the partygoers. It's touching and is played flawlessly.
One of the great things about this set is that three out of four of the movies contain, if not outright sound, a synchronized soundtrack (and even THE GOLD RUSH contains a "sound" version that Chaplin dubbed for the 1942 re-release). Speech isn't the thing to note here -- it's the music. Chaplin's musical abilities are often forgotten about in lieu of his acting/pantomiming, writing and directing skills. But just listen to the soundtrack to something like MODERN TIMES. It's catchy, funny, and fits each scene perfectly. Wonderful.
Each of these four movies has been restored so the picture and sound quality are excellent. Out of this set, the big revelation for me was seeing the original version of THE GOLD RUSH for the first time uncut and with the picture in decent shape. Jokes that I had missed before were suddenly revealed, and I got to appreciate some gags that the previous poor picture quality had hidden.
The DVD extras are fantastic (each individual movie also comes with an entire second disc with nothing but special features). Deleted scenes are included, as are theatrical trailers (most of which are from later re-releases of the films). But the best features are the mini-documentaries included with each movie. They're quite good managing to maintain a good balance between interview footage and modern interpretation.
This set is invaluable for Chaplin fans. Chaplin was a genius of filmmaking and his movies finally have the release that they deserve. I'm now eagerly looking forward to delving through the second box set in this Chaplin DVD series, and I can only hope that it's as brilliant as this one is.
Rating:
Summary: Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaa!
Review: Hey, living in Belgium, Europe, I bought the complete box (10 movies plus extras: it equals this volume one plus volume two, plus a complete biography and the movies "A woman of Paris " and "A King in New York") at Amazon Uk, and you can find my complete review there. But THIS material cannnot be avoided by anyone loving Chaplin's work: it is the supreme collection! And 5 stars is far to little a reward for the job those people did by putting together such collection!
Rating:
Summary: Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaa!
Review: Hey, living in Belgium, Europe, I bought the complete box (10 movies plus extras: it equals this volume one plus volume two, plus a complete biography and the movies "A woman of Paris " and "A King in New York") at Amazon Uk, and you can find my complete review there. But THIS material cannnot be avoided by anyone loving Chaplin's work: it is the supreme collection! And 5 stars is far to little a reward for the job those people did by putting together such collection!
Rating:
Summary: Finally, Chaplin done right!
Review: I've never seen any of these films look more beautiful, and the packaging and extras are excellent! "The Gold Rush" is especially desirable as, previously, we have had to choose between the official release of the "sound" version with Chaplin's distracting narration and very uneven releases of the PD silent version. Here we have both the sound version (interesting as Chaplin's last word on the piece) and the artistically superior silent version, restored by Brownlow! "Modern Times" is a gorgeous restoration of a universally accessible masterpiece (here Chaplin has his cake and eats it too, working his social satire in seamlessly with comedy and character), and includes many amusing extras, including a few cut scenes, a clip of Liberace performing "Smile" (!), and "Por Primera Vez," a 1960s documentary on a travelling theatre, which sets up in a remote Mexican village where most of the inhabitants have never seen a motion picture and screens, yes, "Modern Times" to an enthusiastic audience. "The Great Dictator" is often hilarious (especially the scenes with Jack Oakie) and if the message gets in the way of the art at times, this can be easily forgiven considering the importance of the message. "The Great Dictator" includes the excellent TCM documentary, "The Tramp and the Dictator," much superior to the documentaries on the other discs, as well as Sydney Chaplin's color home movies of the production. The best thing I can say about "Limelight" is that at least Buster Keaton appears (briefly) and at least Chaplin doesn't actually preach (even if he does weep, smirk, and philosophize to trying lengths; I have often thought that Chaplin put off speaking so long because he had a feeling that, if he once started, he would be unable to bring himself to shut up). Still, "Limelight" is (at a bare minimum) of great historic interest, and, if you buy the set, you can consider it as being thrown in for free, so there's no reason not to. This set is required viewing for human beings.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, Chaplin done right!
Review: I've never seen any of these films look more beautiful, and the packaging and extras are excellent! "The Gold Rush" is especially desirable as, previously, we have had to choose between the official release of the "sound" version with Chaplin's distracting narration and very uneven releases of the PD silent version. Here we have both the sound version (interesting as Chaplin's last word on the piece) and the artistically superior silent version, restored by Brownlow! "Modern Times" is a gorgeous restoration of a universally accessible masterpiece (here Chaplin has his cake and eats it too, working his social satire in seamlessly with comedy and character), and includes many amusing extras, including a few cut scenes, a clip of Liberace performing "Smile" (!), and "Por Primera Vez," a 1960s documentary on a travelling theatre, which sets up in a remote Mexican village where most of the inhabitants have never seen a motion picture and screens, yes, "Modern Times" to an enthusiastic audience. "The Great Dictator" is often hilarious (especially the scenes with Jack Oakie) and if the message gets in the way of the art at times, this can be easily forgiven considering the importance of the message. "The Great Dictator" includes the excellent TCM documentary, "The Tramp and the Dictator," much superior to the documentaries on the other discs, as well as Sydney Chaplin's color home movies of the production. The best thing I can say about "Limelight" is that at least Buster Keaton appears (briefly) and at least Chaplin doesn't actually preach (even if he does weep, smirk, and philosophize to trying lengths; I have often thought that Chaplin put off speaking so long because he had a feeling that, if he once started, he would be unable to bring himself to shut up). Still, "Limelight" is (at a bare minimum) of great historic interest, and, if you buy the set, you can consider it as being thrown in for free, so there's no reason not to. This set is required viewing for human beings.
Rating:
Summary: The Tramp for a New Generation
Review: Most have heard of Chaplin. Though many have not seen an entire movie of Chaplin's. This collection is a great way to expose and introduce a younger generation to the visual comic genius of Chaplin. Kids who happen to have a short attention span forget that Chaplin is B&W and silent when they watch this. That's how good he is. This collection brings honor to Chaplin's greatest achievements by presenting the movies with superior picture quality. The extra featues are great! This is a "must-have" for any DVD enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: The Tramp for a New Generation
Review: Most have heard of Chaplin. Though many have not seen an entire movie of Chaplin's. This collection is a great way to expose and introduce a younger generation to the visual comic genius of Chaplin. Kids who happen to have a short attention span forget that Chaplin is B&W and silent when they watch this. That's how good he is. This collection brings honor to Chaplin's greatest achievements by presenting the movies with superior picture quality. The extra featues are great! This is a "must-have" for any DVD enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: My grandfather would be proud...
Review: My grandfather, as big a Chaplin fan as they came, never got over the narrated version of The Gold Rush. It wasn't the narration that bothered him as much as the way that "they had to change the ending." A romantic at heart, he missed the original's softer closing. Every time the film aired on television or was re-released at the theater, he looked for the silent version with the original ending. He never found it. The re-release seemed to be a constant thorn in his side. Sort of like the 1940's version of Greedo shooting first. I hope my grandpa is looking down from above, because the original version of the film is included in this standout DVD collection. If you liked Charlie's light-hearted narration, that version's here too (I think both versions are great). And so are four beautifully restored Charlie Chaplin films. The hilarious Modern Times. The controversial The Great Dictator (Chaplin's first "talkie"). The oftentimes overlooked -- and underrated -- Limelight. And quite possibly the most well-liked film of Chaplin's career, The Gold Rush. There aren't as many outtakes as a Chaplin fan would want, but that's because most were lost or destroyed. The outtakes that are included are as fun as the "little fellow" himself. I'm guessing the films look nearly as good as they did when they were first projected onto the gigantic movie house screens of the 1920s, 30s and 40s. This collection takes you back to the early days of film and reminds you that when most were taking baby steps, Mr. Chaplin was moving cinematic storytelling ahead by leaps and bounds. My grandfather would be proud.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Of Chaplin's Creations
Review: This box set is absolutely wonderful! Not only does it include bonus material that is fascinating, it also offers the original version of "The Gold Rush" as released in it's original form- the way our grandparents saw it in the theater. If you or someone you know is a Chaplin fan, this collection is a must, with his most famous and memerable films ever. Also included in the bonus material is an unseen [until now] look at many aspects of Chaplin and his films.
I recommend highly!
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