CHAPLIN (M) presented in 35mm

Chaplin at The Revival House Perth

From his impoverished childhood in Victorian London to his reign as Hollywood's most beloved star, Charlie Chaplin's (Robert Downey Jr.) life was as dramatic as any film he made. Abandoned by his father and raised by a mentally unstable mother, young Charlie found escape in music hall performance. His genius for physical comedy brought him to America and silent film stardom, where he created the iconic Little Tramp character that made him world-famous. But success brought complications: failed marriages, accusations of communist sympathies during the Red Scare, and FBI surveillance under J. Edgar Hoover. As an elderly Chaplin prepares to receive an honorary Oscar after years of exile from America, he reflects on his tumultuous journey—from poverty to wealth, adoration to persecution, and his lifelong struggle to balance artistic integrity with personal happiness.

Director Richard Attenborough crafts an ambitious biopic spanning eight decades of the 20th century's most influential filmmaker. Robert Downey Jr. delivers a transformative performance that earned him an Oscar nomination, capturing Chaplin's physicality, voice, and emotional complexity with astonishing skill. The 1992 film's recreation of silent film era Hollywood is meticulous, with Downey performing Chaplin's iconic routines himself. The supporting cast includes Geraldine Chaplin (Charlie's daughter) as her own grandmother, Anthony Hopkins as the publisher who becomes Charlie's confidant, and Kevin Kline as Douglas Fairbanks. Sven Nykvist's cinematography shifts between the glamour of Hollywood's golden age and the grim reality of Chaplin's early poverty. John Barry's score underscores both triumph and tragedy. While the film covers perhaps too much ground, Downey's committed performance anchors this portrait of genius and its costs.

Original format and audio experience of this film faithfully reproduced by The Revival House. Presented in 35mm film unless noted otherwise.

When: Sunday, May 31st at 2:00PM
Where: The Revival House at the Como Theatre
Rating: M (Adult themes and sexual references)

Downey Jr.'s Oscar-nominated transformation captures the genius and tragedy of cinema's first global icon—experience on 35mm film.

Presented by: The Revival House Perth