Chaplin (1992) on Netflix
PG-1319922h 23mBiographyComedyDrama
In Victorian South London, five-year-old Charlie Chaplin takes his mother's place onstage when she loses her voice. Fred Karno later sends him to America, where he vows to return a success.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.5/1066,147 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes61%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1962, an elderly Charlie Chaplin sits in Switzerland with George Hayden, the editor of his autobiography, and looks back. He was born into poverty in South London, where his mother Hannah lost her voice on the variety stage and was later committed to an asylum. Charlie and his brother Sydney found work with the producer Fred Karno, who sent Charlie to the United States. There he proposed to the dancer Hetty Kelly, who turned him down as too young, and he promised to come back once he was a success. The comedy producer Mack Sennett hired him, and out of that came the Tramp.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Chaplin (1992)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Although Attenborough wanted Robert Downey Jr. for the part of Chaplin, studio executives wanted Robin Williams or Billy Crystal; Jim Carrey and Tom Hanks were also considered, and Downey Jr. later revealed that Attenborough had been interested in Tom Cruise, who declined the offer.
- Attenborough hired Bryan Forbes to write the script, only to find that Forbes strongly disapproved of Chaplin, considering his passionately held political views naive, his oeuvre vastly overrated and much of his personal life despicable; Universal was unhappy with Forbes's drafts, and Attenborough had to fire him, straining their friendship.
- The film features Charlie Chaplin's own daughter, Geraldine Chaplin, in the role of his mother, Hannah Chaplin, which means she plays her own grandmother on screen.
- The film was a box office bomb, grossing $12 million against a $31 million budget, and received mixed reviews from critics.
- Attenborough considered Anthony Sher for the title role of Chaplin, but changed his mind after seeing Sher's screen test for the part.
