Customer Reviews

Chaplin Collection 2 [VHS]

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First of all, this is in reference to the MADACY collection of Chaplin shorts, volume 2. This has nothing to do with any Kino or Image DVD that this review will be cross-referenced to. The Kino and Image DVDs are the way to go.

Even worse than volume 1, this collection presents a lot of material available in much better quality from other companies. Madacy once again takes lousy copies of old films, transfers them poorly, often without the title cards included, and adds on a slapdash soundtrack of some old, scratchy jazz records from the 40's, often repeating the same record. The final indignity comes with the tape duplication itself - at the lowest speed possible for even lousier quality.

The only reason to get this set is that a few of these films are available almost nowhere else. This is like buying moldy fruits and vegetables, because your only alternative is starving. Just because it's all you got doesn't mean it's any good.

After viewing part one of the Chaplin Collection this continuation of the box set completes any Chaplin fan's collection. These ten VHS tapes has some of the most historic silent film shorts from a time and a place that no one in contemporary film could ever come close to emulating. This is a must have in order to preserve the artist's work in a way he would have wanted it- all laughs.