Chaplin – 15th Anniversary Edition (1992/Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: B- Film: B
Charlie
Chaplin is hands down one of the biggest pioneers of the film industry and the
1992 Richard Attenborough film showcases the many talents and hardships of a
man who touched the lives of many by saying very little. Watching the Chaplin “15th Anniversary Edition” when the 20th
anniversary of the film has almost arrived may seem unusual and I assure you it
is. The film is very well made and has
mostly stood the test of time. There are
some elements that seem dated and certainly have the 90’s film making charm,
but the performances remain stellar along with the film’s ability to summate so
much in a mere 135 minutes.
The film
chronicles the life and times of Charlie Chaplin from birth to death, rushing
through some aspects and dragging along in others; but overall being succinct
and careful enough with the source material to project a solid story. The scenery and sets are well done, the story
development is adequate, the cinematography is admirable, but it is the
acting…OH THE ACTING on the part of Robert Downey Jr. that makes the film a
success. There is not much to say about
the biopic as it does a ‘good job,’ but without Robert Downey Jr.’s performance
the film would be nothing and I can’t imagine anyone else in the role. When viewers go back to watch this film
almost 20years later here on Blu-ray, they will prepare themselves to view the
great film they remember; but what they will find out is that the reason they
loved the movie was due to the acting, not the film itself.
Hence the
acting Oscar and not the film Oscar.
For more
on this film please follow the link to the DVD review of the ‘15th
Anniversary Edition’ below:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7776/Chaplin:+15th+Anniversary+Edition+%
The
technical features on this Blu-ray release are shameful and hastily put
together at best. It seems as though
this 15th anniversary Blu-ray was released 5years too late. The picture quality is grainy at best and the
colors certainly fall flat. The 1.78 X 1
Widescreen AVC MPEG-4 is dreadful as from the opening scenes the viewer can see
dirt, debris fly across the screen; this on top of the edge enhancement we are
treated to throughout the film. The
picture quality lacks all around as the presentation lacks depth, texture and
all in between. The sound is in the same
line of bad as 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track is ‘blah’ with poor speaker range,
distant/muffled dialogue, and a muted orchestral presentation.
The
extras are the same as those on the DVD release with nothing more to offer.
In the
end, for a good film the presentation is worrisome and people should realize
this if you just do the math of a 15th anniversary Blu-ray 20 years
after the 1992 film was made.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
