Limelight
Blu Ray
Aging clown recounts life, aids dancer, echoing Chaplin's essence.
The restored film boasts remarkable stability and image quality, with only minor blemishes, showcasing deep blacks, crisp whites, and detailed grays.
The award-winning, melodious music is dynamic yet balanced, free of distortion, with clear, comprehensible dialogue that envelops the listener.
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.
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
- Video90
- Audio100
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)....
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....
- Extra90
- Movie90
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...
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....
- Total90
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....
- Video90
- Audio80
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...
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....
- Extra60
- Movie80
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...
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...
- Total80
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...