Chaplin: Genius Of The Cinema [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Vance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

Charlie Chaplin was the first international cinema star and one of the greatest comic geniuses the world has known. Drawing on research and interviews with those who knew Chaplin, Jeffrey Vance presents an illustrated account which captures Chaplin's fascinating life as well as his creative process. Vance describes in detail the atmosphere on Chaplin's film sets and his relationships with the cast and crew, his first attempts at comedy sequences that later became famous, and the main themes and ideas that persist through the major Chaplin films. Chaplin's rags-to-riches life story is also represented in these pages, every stage of which is documented in photographs: his poverty-stricken childhood in late Victorian London, his unparalleled success in Hollywood, his numerous romances and four marriages, his political persecution during the anti-communist witch-hunts, and his happy years of quiet exile in Switzerland.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Using his complete access to the Chaplin Archives, film historian Vance creates a compelling portrait of the cinema's first international star: a moviemaker who blended comedy and pathos and whose most complex character was his own off-screen self. Vance, who helped Charlie Chaplin's ex-wife Lita Grey pen her memoirs and has co-authored biographies of silent-film comedy greats Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, discerningly examines both Chaplin's groundbreaking work and the controversial man behind it. More of an encyclopedia than a biography-information from Chaplin's memoirs is frequently quoted-Vance's book shows admiration and sympathy for its subject, plus an extensive understanding of Chaplin's films, which are evaluated at length. But the most impressive and incisive material here are the photos, some of which have never been published before. Family portraits, film-set snapshots and frame enlargements from movies reveal a somber, often fragile-looking young man whose whole personality, not just his physical appearance, is altered when he's playing a role. As Chaplin's career soared in the early 20th century-along with his reputation as a perfectionist and his predilection for teenage girls-the photos capture his enlivening confidence. Later images reveal a man pained by legal battles and, eventually, a family patriarch at peace after marrying Eugene O'Neill's daughter, Oona. Comprehensive captions provide enough details to stand alone from the rest of the text. Released on the heels of a documentary about Chaplin and restored DVDs of his classic films, this book makes a sound introduction to, and study of, the great filmmaker's work. 500 b&w photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Vance's Buster Keaton Remembered (2001) and Harold Lloyd [BKL My 15 02] are the finest photographic books ever published on their subjects, so it is not altogether surprising that his treatment of the greatest silent film comedian is a stunner. Still, that it contains so many superbly reproduced images from Chaplin's earliest years as an English touring-company member; so many documentary photos of Chaplin at work, at play, and in the public eye; and such wonderful rediscoveries as the great photojournalist W. Eugene Smith's expressionistic shots of Chaplin directing and acting in his greatest sound film, Limelight, as well as the expected wealth of movie production and publicity stills, is vastly impressive. Moreover, Vance writes considerably more about Chaplin than he did about Keaton and Lloyd combined. He discusses every film, including early shorts that are lost, and he illuminates Chaplin's working methods. If his prose remains workaday, it is always clear, even when he makes peculiar word choices and gets inconsequential facts wrong. Nevertheless, an absolutely essential book on this great filmmaker. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First Edition edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810945320
• ISBN-13: 978-0810945326
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeffrey Vance is an American film historian, producer, archivist, and lecturer, as well as the author of an acclaimed trilogy of books on the great triumvirate of silent-film comedy: "Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema," "Harold Lloyd: Master Comedian" (with Suzanne Lloyd), and "Buster Keaton Remembered" (with Eleanor Keaton). His most recent book is "Douglas Fairbanks."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous Photographic Account of Chaplin's Life, November 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Chaplin: Genius Of The Cinema (Hardcover)

All I can say is "WOW!" I have never seen such a detailed photobiography in my life. It's so much more in depth than Chaplin's own, "MY LIFE IN PICTURES." There is so much text (a very unusual trait for a book like this) and so many photos that it will literally take weeks to absorb it all! This doesn't even include the captions which are like stories of their own. The author uses them as a way of shoehorning every possible interesting incident or entertaining story of Chaplin's life into concise morsels of pure reading pleasure. This book covers it all -- from the early shorts, the feature films, all the wives, the scandals, his music and even a previously unpublished (for the most part) interview with Chaplin himself!! The book probably weighs in at 5 pounds. It's like a text book and photo book rolled into one. If you're a fan of comedians or silent film don't miss it!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rediscovering the Little Tramp, December 22, 2003

By 

Scott T. Rivers (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chaplin: Genius Of The Cinema (Hardcover)

Jeffrey Vance's "Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema" is an essential book and a valuable addition to the Charlie Chaplin bibliography. Along with many previously unseen photographs, Vance has assembled a thoughtful and revealing text, with memorable insights provided by Chaplin's family and noted filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Chuck Jones. Though Chaplin rarely discussed his cinematic technique, the book's unedited 1966 interview with Richard Meryman sheds new light on his working methods. From a critical perspective, the author provides a detailed reassessment of Chaplin's Mutual period (1916-17), with a particularly keen eye toward his later work - notably "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947), "Limelight" (1952) and "A King in New York" (1957). Thanks to the diligent research of cinema historians such as Vance, Kevin Brownlow and David Robinson, future generations will have a better understanding of Charles Spencer Chaplin and his enduring artistry.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Safety of Anonymity, August 2, 2004

By 

D. Ford (New York City, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chaplin: Genius Of The Cinema (Hardcover)

I find it odd that people who leave very positive reviews for books almost always leave their names, while the negative reviewers simply throw rocks anonymously from the safety of a crowd. I also find some of the criticisms of Mr. Vance's book bewildering at best. Great pictures but "boring" text? It's a heavily researched biographical work, not an adventure story you geniuses. If you want exciting and whimsical adventure stories, go read the latest Harry Potter tome and leave the classic cinema discussions for the thinking adults, Sparky.

After reading this book, (not just marveling at the incredible pictures; pictures that can usually ONLY be accessed by working with the estates, widows, and surviving family members of an historically important individual), I watched the remastered DVDs of Chaplin's films with a new appreciation and understanding of the man's work. How sad that people feel the need to write biased negative reviews that are petty at best, and illogical and juvenile at worst. And while I've never met Mr. Vance, it would be very interesting to hear his take on some of the sour grapes offered in these reviews. Some people make important films loved the world over, and some people research and write illuminating biographies of these people. Others can only rise to the level of jealously flinging mud at well-connected authors. Somehow, I believe even Chaplin would fail to find the humor in that.