Chaplin: His Life And Art

Robinson, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141000384 ISBN 13: 9780141000381

Publisher: Penguin, 2001

The definitive and monumental biography of Chaplin, first published in 1985, and now in its second edition. Plagued by loneliness and driven by the search for artistic perfection, Chaplin's life was an extraordinarily dramatic one. Robinson exploresthe tragic story of Chaplin's alchoholic father; his mentally distubed mother; his marriages to very young women; the 'white slavery' case against him; and his persecution by anti-Communist forces during the McCarthy era which ultimately forced Chaplin to leave America.

Synopsis:

The greatest icon in the history of cinema, Charlie Chaplin lived one of the most dramatic rags to riches stories ever told. His life was marked by extraordinary contrasts: the child of London slums who became a multimillionaire; the on-screen clown who was a driven perfectionist behind the cameras; the adulated star who publicly fell from grace after personal and political scandal. This engrossing and definitive work, the only biography written with full access to Chaplin's archives, tells the whole story of a brilliant, complex man. Now fully updated with added pictures and an extended filmography, it includes revelatory new material on Chaplin's marriages, his affair with movie star Louise Brooks, his persecution by the FBI during anti-Communist witch hunts -exposing their role in the "white-slavery" case against him - and the significance of Richard Attenborough's film "Chaplin".

About the Author:

David Robinson is one of the most widely respected film critics and historians in the world. His many books include WORLD CINEMA, HOLLYWOOD IN THE TWENTIES and BUSTER KEATON. He writes for the Times.