Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty, the excellent new documentary by Yves Jeuland & François Aymé, which premiered at Cannes Classics 2020/Festival Lumière in Lyon, will be broadcast on Wednesday, January 6th at 9:05 pm on French television station France 3. The documentary will be followed by Modern Times at 11:30 pm.
As reported in Variety, Altitude and Showtime have announced that they are teaming up in representing worldwide rights to Chaplin (working title), the upcoming second feature documentary from Peter Middleton and James Spinney, three-time BAFTA nominees for Notes on Blindness.
Altitude is handling international rights for the film and is introducing the project to buyers at Cannes. Showtime has North American rights. Altitude has also acquired distribution rights to the film for the UK and Ireland.
Chaplin is being funded by the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery, Film4 and Showtime. Further support comes from the BFI National Archive’s world-class collections and Chaplin’s World by Grévin. Chaplin’s World is a museum, housed in the historic ‘Manoir de Ban’ in Vevey, Switzerland where Chaplin lived for 25 years. It will act as a shooting location for sequences set during the latter stages of his life.
Chaplin is both the ultimate rags-to-riches story and a revealing, poignant and definitive portrait of cinema’s most iconic figure. Groundbreaking, controversial, outspoken, visionary; for decades he was the most famous man in the world – but who was the real Charlie Chaplin?
BAFTA-nominated filmmakers Middleton and Spinney have gained unprecedented access to Chaplin’s personal and creative archive, including a treasure trove of previously unknown material. Through unseen outtakes and newly unearthed audio recordings, Middleton and Spinney will chart Chaplin’s escape from an impoverished childhood in late-Victorian London to the bright lights of Hollywood at the dawn of cinema. But although his fictional alter ego the ‘Little Tramp’ brings him global fame and total artistic control, turbulent creative anxieties, successive personal scandals and a controversial political voice ultimately lead not only to the demise of his beloved character, but his rejection from America and self-imposed exile.
Ben Limberg (Smaller Biggie) and John Battsek (Passion Pictures) will produce alongside Mike Brett (Archer’s Mark), bringing award-winning experience from previous films including Listen to Me Marlon and Notes on Blindness. Limberg said: “Chaplin’s family have been enormously supportive and helpful in the making of this film. And through the wonderful Kate Guyonvarch, who runs the Chaplin estate, we have exclusive access to the entire Chaplin library, an extraordinary collection of materials. Mixed with breathtaking new audio of Chaplin speaking about his life and work it is truly humbling to be making such an exciting film about the father of cinema.”
Bradley Lowery has touched a lot of people with his brave battle against cancer. The terminally ill six-year-old from Blackhall has inspired two Hartlepool sisters, Liv’n’G, to record Smile For Bradley, a cover of Charlie Chaplin’s Smile, in Bradley’s honour to raise awareness of Neuroblastoma, as well as to funds for the Bradley Lowery Foundation.
The track has already entered the official top 40 at number 4, which is unbelievable for a small charity single.
You can download the track here (proceeds go to the Bradley Lowery Foundation which aims to support other youngsters fighting cancer):
And watch this adorable video of Bradley’s class singing his song.
The French TV program “13h15 le samedi” was allowed access by the Chaplin family to their home movies filmed by Oona Chaplin. Three of Charlie Chaplin’s children, Annie, Eugene and Michael, and one of his grandsons, Charly Sistovaris, share their thoughts and memories. They talk of Charlie Chaplin, the working man, but also the family man. And they talk of their home, the Manoir de Ban, now a museum open to all…
This documentary by Karine Comazzi, Frédéric Capron, Patrice Brugère and Oktay Sengul offers wonderful insights into the Manoir de Ban, former family home, now Chaplin’s World.
The documentary can be viewed in French here.
French channel ARTE’s most recent Chaplin programming is currently available online. The Great Dictator and the documentary, The Birth of the Tramp, are available to watch for seven days, and a number of shorts are available until the end of the month.
Monty Python star Terry Jones, a long-time fan of silent comedy, presents “In Charlie Chaplin’s Footsteps – With Terry Jones”: UK Premiere 10:35 pm, 10th May 2015 on ITV1
Terry traces Chaplin’s incredible journey from abject poverty in South London to being one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood and running his own studio in Hollywood. Showing clips that span his film career he tries to get to the bottom of what made Charlie so special as an artist. With access to a wealth of home movie material, Terry Jones also looks at the troubled private life of the man: his loves, his politics, his obsessions.
He talks to Chaplin’s son Michael, biographer David Robinson and Kate Guyonarch from the Chaplin Office in his quest to get inside the skin of one of the true giants of film and comedy.
Directed/Produced by Francis Hanly
For those of you in the U.S.A. and Canada, Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator and Monsieur Verdoux will be on TCM on February 7th (4:15 am ET) and February 17th (9:15 am ET), respectively. Don’t miss them!
For details, check out the TCM website.