Limelight

Blu Ray

  • Score
    76
    from 2 reviewers
  • Aging clown recounts life, aids dancer, echoing Chaplin's essence.

    Limelight
    1952
    137 min
    G
  • Video
    79
  • The restored film boasts remarkable stability and image quality, with only minor blemishes, showcasing deep blacks, crisp whites, and detailed grays.

  • Audio
    79
  • The award-winning, melodious music is dynamic yet balanced, free of distortion, with clear, comprehensible dialogue that envelops the listener.

  • Extra
    71
  • In an insightful video program, David Robinson unravels Chaplin's Limelight's intricate production tale, script genesis, and deep relationships, enriched by compelling interviews and rare footage.

  • Movie
    76
  • Calvero, after a pub visit, finds his neighbor Thereza, a desolate ballerina, post-suicide attempt; 'Limelight's brief NYC showing deprived many of Chaplin's intimate work.

    Director: Charles Chaplin

    Actors: Charles Chaplin, Claire Bloom, Nigel Bruce

    Plot: A fading comedian and a suicidally despondent ballet dancer must look to each other to find purpose and hope in their lives.

    Disc Release Date: 19 May 2015

    all scores

    Blu-ray.com review by Dr. Svet Atanasov
    • Video
      90
    • Despite the fact that time has left its mark, the film looks very healthy and stable (some of the most dramatic improvements are in the area of image stabilization)....

    • Audio
      100
    • More importantly, the music is well rounded and well balanced -- there are no sudden spikes or drops in dynamic activity and the high frequencies are free of distortions....

    • Extra
      90
    • Chaplin's "Limelight" - in this new video program, Charlie Chaplin biographer David Robinson discusses the long production history of Limelight and the evolution of its script, Charlie Chaplin's relationship...

    • Movie
      90
    • After spending time with friends in a local pub, Calvero returns home and discovers that his neighbor, Thereza (Claire Bloom), a beautiful but lonely ballerina, has attempted to commit suicide....

    • Total
      90
    • It tells the story of an aging clown who is struggling to come to terms with the fact that his best days are behind him....

    High-Def Digest review by David Krauss
    • Video
      90
    • Only a couple of errant marks and faint vertical lines dot the pristine source material, which is distinguished by strong, rich black levels, delicate whites, and enough shades of gray to heighten details...

    • Audio
      80
    • Chaplin's melodic, haunting theme music, which won an Academy Award more than 20 years after the film was released, envelopes with ease, and all the dialogue is clear and easy to comprehend....

    • Extra
      60
    • This excellent 2002 featurette combines newsreel footage, home movies, and rare stills, as well as insightful interviews with Bloom, Sydney Chaplin, and director Bernardo Bertolucci, to present a touching...

    • Movie
      80
    • As a result, 'Limelight' only played briefly in New York City, robbing widespread audiences of the chance to see this very personal cinematic statement by a once beloved artist who had fallen hard and...

    • Total
      80
    • The story of an aging music hall performer on the skids who helps rehabilitate an insecure, self-destructive ballet dancer borrows heavily from Chaplin's own life, and as a result, captures his essence...