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kanejim57's review against another edition
3.0
Peter Ackroyd’s biography of silent film legend Charlie Chaplin is a mixture of film criticism and biography, and while brief at just over 300 pages, is a somewhat unsympathetic portrait combined with wonderful passages that offer windows into the early years of the American movie industry and the life of a man who created and shaped a legendary character during those years into an enduring cultural image.
Beginning with Chaplin’s troubled and impoverished childhood in London, Ackroyd walks us through Chaplin’s rise to stardom and through his later years, filled with political accusations and declining health and life. Included in this walk is the often repeated cycle of seduction, marriage, and divorce which left a trail of recriminations and mental and emotional stress in his life. But Ackroyd, I think, balances this presentation with a helpful review of Chaplin’s artistic and commercial successes in the cinematic world with a critical eye of Chaplin’s films.
Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life (Nan A. Talese) is a brief introduction to a legendary actor and director that provides a blunt and yet fascinating glimpse into one of the 20th century’s stars. I liked this book more for the fascinating depiction of the early days of film and Chaplin’s groundbreaking and meticulous work as an actor and director than for anything else.
I rate this book a “good” read.
Note: I received a galley copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.
Beginning with Chaplin’s troubled and impoverished childhood in London, Ackroyd walks us through Chaplin’s rise to stardom and through his later years, filled with political accusations and declining health and life. Included in this walk is the often repeated cycle of seduction, marriage, and divorce which left a trail of recriminations and mental and emotional stress in his life. But Ackroyd, I think, balances this presentation with a helpful review of Chaplin’s artistic and commercial successes in the cinematic world with a critical eye of Chaplin’s films.
Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life (Nan A. Talese) is a brief introduction to a legendary actor and director that provides a blunt and yet fascinating glimpse into one of the 20th century’s stars. I liked this book more for the fascinating depiction of the early days of film and Chaplin’s groundbreaking and meticulous work as an actor and director than for anything else.
I rate this book a “good” read.
Note: I received a galley copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.
geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
'Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life' by Peter Ackroyd has a title that confused me because I know Chaplin lived into his 80s. The title refers to the briefer depth that the book gives to the subject. With numerous other books on such a famous subject, the big question is do we need another one?
Most of the facts are here. Charlie's childhood in poverty. His early days on the stage, and eventual journey to Hollywood and fame. He was a comic genius and a troubled artist. He had a singular vision for what he wanted on the screen, and the kind of womanizing that led to scandals and headlines. He achieved a kind of fame that no one before him had, and towards the end of his life a kind of disdainful infamy where he was shunned by his adopted country for a time. In the end, he is remembered for an amazing body of work that endures.
Ackroyd's approach seems more of a lurid tell all at times. Charlie may have been an unpleasant person at times, but that seems to take the forefront over his film contributions. The films are mentioned, but the impression you are left with is that this was a tyrannical genius who should have stopped making movies shortly after sound came along. So, with many other Chaplin biographies available, I'm not sure this one sheds any more light on the subject than other works.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Doubleday Books, Nan A Talese and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Most of the facts are here. Charlie's childhood in poverty. His early days on the stage, and eventual journey to Hollywood and fame. He was a comic genius and a troubled artist. He had a singular vision for what he wanted on the screen, and the kind of womanizing that led to scandals and headlines. He achieved a kind of fame that no one before him had, and towards the end of his life a kind of disdainful infamy where he was shunned by his adopted country for a time. In the end, he is remembered for an amazing body of work that endures.
Ackroyd's approach seems more of a lurid tell all at times. Charlie may have been an unpleasant person at times, but that seems to take the forefront over his film contributions. The films are mentioned, but the impression you are left with is that this was a tyrannical genius who should have stopped making movies shortly after sound came along. So, with many other Chaplin biographies available, I'm not sure this one sheds any more light on the subject than other works.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Doubleday Books, Nan A Talese and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
scribbler67's review against another edition
2.0
I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program. I'm a silent movie buff so I've seen a decent number of Chaplin's films, but this biography was most interesting to me for the information about the early days of the film industry. Ackroyd includes synopses of most of Chaplin's work, which was fascinating. Chaplin's Dickensian childhood and early life were equally fascinating and the author definitely spends a good portion of the book on Chaplin's formative years. Chaplin was driven by his work and was no saint, by all accounts. Ackroyd certainly doesn't shy away from these aspects but the book never read as a character assassination to me. There is a lot of speculation on the author's part regarding Chaplin's motivations, so take that for what it is worth. I was not impressed with Ackroyd's writing. His research, yes, but his writing, no. It all seemed very impersonal and distant. Overall, an interesting yet uninspiring account of a true cinematic genius and the world's first global celebrity.
kanejim57's review against another edition
3.0
Peter Ackroyd’s biography of silent film legend Charlie Chaplin is a mixture of film criticism and biography, and while brief at just over 300 pages, is a somewhat unsympathetic portrait combined with wonderful passages that offer windows into the early years of the American movie industry and the life of a man who created and shaped a legendary character during those years into an enduring cultural image.
Beginning with Chaplin’s troubled and impoverished childhood in London, Ackroyd walks us through Chaplin’s rise to stardom and through his later years, filled with political accusations and declining health and life. Included in this walk is the often repeated cycle of seduction, marriage, and divorce which left a trail of recriminations and mental and emotional stress in his life. But Ackroyd, I think, balances this presentation with a helpful review of Chaplin’s artistic and commercial successes in the cinematic world with a critical eye of Chaplin’s films.
Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life (Nan A. Talese) is a brief introduction to a legendary actor and director that provides a blunt and yet fascinating glimpse into one of the 20th century’s stars. I liked this book more for the fascinating depiction of the early days of film and Chaplin’s groundbreaking and meticulous work as an actor and director than for anything else.
I rate this book a “good” read.
Note: I received a galley copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.
Beginning with Chaplin’s troubled and impoverished childhood in London, Ackroyd walks us through Chaplin’s rise to stardom and through his later years, filled with political accusations and declining health and life. Included in this walk is the often repeated cycle of seduction, marriage, and divorce which left a trail of recriminations and mental and emotional stress in his life. But Ackroyd, I think, balances this presentation with a helpful review of Chaplin’s artistic and commercial successes in the cinematic world with a critical eye of Chaplin’s films.
Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life (Nan A. Talese) is a brief introduction to a legendary actor and director that provides a blunt and yet fascinating glimpse into one of the 20th century’s stars. I liked this book more for the fascinating depiction of the early days of film and Chaplin’s groundbreaking and meticulous work as an actor and director than for anything else.
I rate this book a “good” read.
Note: I received a galley copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.
glennmiller5309's review against another edition
5.0
Highly entertaining overview of Chaplin's life. A wonderful writer, Ackroyd captures the ups and downs of Chaplin's life and presents a well-balanced portrayal of Chaplin's complicated personality. As is often the case, a brilliantly creative individual is unable to fathom why those around him are neither as brilliant nor creative as he, himself. This attitude, according to Ackroyd, made him an unpleasant person to work or live with. But Chaplain was there at the beginning and this book helps today's readers understand the challenges and wonderment of cinema's early years.
ashwise360's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
hpuphd's review against another edition
4.0
I have read and appreciated at least six books by Peter Ackroyd. He writes with care and precision and excels at finding the revealing detail or quote and in attaching a convincing interpretation to it. Many of the unfavorable reviews here refer to Chaplin’s seemingly detestable personality and question Ackroyd’s sympathy toward his subject. But the author shows considerable respect for Chaplin the artist (if less for the unhappy, self-absorbed man). Reading biography only to find role models is like complaining at an unhappy ending in a novel. Reading should take in more. The writing in this book is something to savor. The insights about the movies are rewarding. And Ackroyd mentions Chaplin’s “friends” often enough to make one wonder if the slights about Charlie himself might be overdone, though it remains clear that the crushing poverty of Chaplin’s boyhood and the immense wealth and fame of his youth created something of a monster.
annmarie_in_november's review against another edition
1.0
Rating is not a reflection on the subject matter but rather the uninspired, bored manner in which this book was written, with out of place sarcastic, negative remarks on Chaplin's actions and motivations. It felt as though there was a clear personal disdain/dislike on the author's part seeping in, which ruined the reading experience for me personally.
kfrench1008's review against another edition
4.0
Nowhere near as comprehensive as David Robinson's definitive biography, but it benefits from Ackroyd's objective point of view. He is not out to smear Chaplin, but to present him as a great artist and an often flawed human being. His descriptions of the London of Chaplin's childhood and of early Hollywood are very evocative.
hmbarker's review against another edition
2.0
It took me a bit to reflect on this and decide what rating I was going to give it. I wanted to like it; I wanted to love it, really. I've always had a fascination with Charlie Chaplin and was really quite excited to finally read this biography, but in truth, I was quite disappointed. I think I was expecting more detail about his work, his impact on the film industry at the time, and the way he changed pantomime and comedy forever. Instead, this seemed to focus on speculation and gossip and rumors, and while they very well could have been true, it's not what I had wanted to get out of this. So, my disappointment really wasn't a reflection of the work at all, just my own expectations. While I learned a lot, it wasn't necessarily what I was expecting to learn.