Interesting story that fans have heard before. No revelations or new and interesting reveals. No deep dives. The film relies heavily on a single recorded interview Chaplin gave in 1960 and his own autobiography. No real investigation into who Chaplin really was which is ironic giving the title of the film. No examination of contemporary opinions of Chaplin's friends and peers. The most interesting part was the explanation of the circular relationship between the FBI and the media. The way Chaplin was taken down by an incestuous dynamic between the FBI and the Media. It's very analogous to recent events in American politics. The FBI feeds a story to the Media, the media prints it, then the FBI uses the media's story (that the FBI provided) as proof. Recently a sitting US President was taken down the same way. (Can you say dossier? One of the oldest tricks in the book, apparently). One other note it's odd that Chaplin's 4th wife Oona O'Neil is not identified as playwright Eugene O'Neil's daughter. (Which she was). Strangly the film alludes to the daughter of of one of America's greatest playwrights as maybe "just a bimbo". (Are the film makers grinding as ax? Taking a personal sideways shot at Charlie's living descendants?) Also missing is any real examination of Charlie's inappropriate (to say the least) attraction to underage girls. But then again Charlie thought the 'approved thoughts' of today so getting young girls pregnant and back alley abortions are somehow just not that important.
Review of The Real Charlie Chaplin
