Charlie Chaplin

Starred review from September 8, 2014
In his typically elegant and measured prose, prize-winning biographer Ackroyd (Shakespeare: The Biography) brilliantly brings Chaplin to life. Beginning with Chaplin’s birth in a poor South London neighborhood, Ackroyd traces his career, from his earliest notices in a play called Jim in 1903, where he learned the value of comic timing, to his stint with the Karno Company, which brought him, along with Stan Laurel, to America in 1910. Chaplin went on to work with Mack Sennett in Keystone films, insisted on working as his own director, made classic films such as City Lights and Modern Times, got involved in politics, and relentlessly pursued women. Ackroyd masterfully paints the colorful backdrop of the youthful film industry, in which Chaplin made a name for himself as one of the first real celebrities of his time, instantly recognizable around the world for his comic performances. Chaplin the man emerges as a protean personality who, in the words of his son, was a “priceless entertainer, a moody dreamer, and the wild man of Borneo with his flashes of volcanic temper.” Ackroyd’s book introduces the Little Tramp in such a charming and candid fashion that it will drive movie buffs to watch Chaplin on screen once again.

September 15, 2014
The life of a great filmmaker and lousy human being. Ackroyd (Three Brothers, 2014, etc.) delivers a thorough if ultimately unsatisfying portrait of Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) in this dispiriting chronicle of an artistic genius and thoroughly unpleasant man. The author's account of Chaplin's difficult early life in the slums of London is evocative and moving, detailing the many deprivations suffered by the young Charlie, which included chronic malnutrition and stints in workhouses; more troubling still was the condition of his mother, a failed singer whose devolution into madness ensured a lifelong lack of emotional stability for her gifted son. Surprisingly, the narrative becomes less interesting as Chaplin achieves success and renown, as his background in mime, dance and acrobatic clowning coincided with the nascent demands of early film comedy. Chaplin's physical gifts and iconic visual presence as his signature "Little Tramp" character quickly established him as Hollywood's biggest attraction, and his subsequent total control over his projects resulted in phenomenally successful movies (including City Lights, Modern Times and The Great Dictator) that made him the most famous man in the world. Ackroyd's analysis of Chaplin's evolving screen persona and obsessive attention to details provides some intriguing insights into his many classic works, but the author neglects to place these films in a wider context. The man himself emerges as a bitter, hateful presence: cruel, sadistic, bullying, a sexual predator fixated on very young teenage girls and monomaniacal to the point of monstrosity. Readers are left with an understanding of Chaplin's background, the biographical details of his long and troubled life, and some idea of the hellish conditions on the exacting filmmaker's sets, but conclusions about his significance as an artist, his work's relationship to the culture at large, and the internal forces that engendered such personal misery and creative transcendence fail to cohere. A comprehensive look at Chaplin the man but lacking as a portrait of the artist and his legacy.

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2014

Biographer, historian, and novelist Ackroyd (London: The Biography) brazenly discloses the parts of Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) previously left in the shadows. Chaplin's brilliant existence as a director, actor, and writer takes a backseat as we glimpse into the bedrooms, bars, and hotels of his personal world. Ackroyd brings readers through childhood travels and memories and behind the scenes to reveal what made Chaplin who he was. Filled with quotes, insights, and personal accounts, this slim book peeks into the actor's marriages and affairs, considers his fascination with Hitler, and discusses his exile to Switzerland. From his work with Mack Sennett in 1914 to obtaining a knighthood in 1975, Chaplin is depicted in alluring detail in this easy-to-read biography. For such an endeavor a more satisfying subject could not exist. The extensive facts captured in the work are sure to intrigue and lead the reader to other Chaplin studies. VERDICT Award-winning author Ackroyd exposes the hidden truths in Chaplin's life that help us to understand the artist both personally and professionally. An exceptional read for those who love Chaplin, film, history, and gossip. [See Prepub Alert, 5/4/14.]--Rochelle LeMaster, Medina Cty. Dist. Lib., OH

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2014
Born in South London in 1889, Chaplin knew deprivation. At an early age, he mastered the art of survival, often sleeping in the street and forced to beg in order to feed himself. He took up work in the music hall, where he studied the clowns and the comedians. Joining the Karno company, he toured America in 1910, eventually signing with Mack Sennett to make movies for Keystone. According to Ackroyd, Chaplin, like Shakespeare, had the inestimable advantage of being an instinctive artist in a nascent art form. Within four months, he was immensely popular, his impish, resourceful little fellow universally recognized and in great demand. Soon Chaplin was writing and directing, too. In 1914, he cranked out 36 films for Keystone before he moved on, establishing a reputation for perfectionism with extensive rehearsals and numerous takes. Chaplin's films not only broke box-office records but films like The Gold Rush, City Lights, and Modern Times are considered great works of art. This title, the fifth in Ackroyd's Brief Life series, is detailed yet breezy, full of sharp insights into Chaplin's public and private personas (onscreen, Chaplin had an inner life, but offscreen, he did not). Ackroyd includes details on Chaplin's philandering, his penchant for young girls, his controversial political views, and his denial for reentry into the States due to moral character and his political affiliations. It's been 100 years since Chaplin started making movies. Expect plenty of interest in this fine biography.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)