Description
Book SynopsisThe most important criticism of the great comedian's work, including pieces by Andrew Sarris, David Thomson, Gilbert Seldes, Alistair Cooke, Robert E. Sherwood, Stark Young, Edmund Wilson, Stanley Kauffmann, Alexander Woollcott, George Jean Nathan, Max Eastman, Robert Warshow, Water Kerr, and James Agee. Richard Schickel, one of our outstanding film critics, has written a long introduction. Praise for Schickel's Chaplin documentary: An invaluable critic and historian.... Schickel's film...is like a course in cultural history taught by a witty, slightly dyspeptic professor.-A. O. Scott, New York Times
Trade ReviewThe Essential Chaplin stresses the significance of Charlie’s oeuvre and directs the audience to its most hilarious films. * The Wall Street Journal *
A wonderfully put-together overview of Chaplin's life and art. -- Ina Hughes * News-Sentinel *
[An] intrinsically valuable new anthology. -- Scott Eyman * The New York Observer *
A fascinating compilation...For fans, this book is a must; it is also valuable as a study of expository and critical writing. -- Dana Cobern-Kullman * Library Journal *
Collectively...insightful and thorough....this volume is a must * CHOICE *
The best pieces in this collection...are the ones that leaven admiration with healthy cynicism. -- Marc Weingarten * Los Angeles Times *
One of the finest English-language pieces on Chaplin ever written....The seminal text on the comedian. -- Jim Hempill * American Society of Cinematographers *
The book's best feature is its organized cacophony, its trace of this astonishingly long and rich body of work and personal travail....There is much to savor in these essays. -- Robert Jackson, Professor of Political Science, Florida State University * Virginia Quarterly Review *
"[These] essays...deserve ongoing recommendation and mention for any Chaplin fan, whether newcomer or seasoned." * Midwest Book Review *
"Nearly thirty essays from film critic Richard Schickel deserve ongoing recommendation and mention for any Chaplin fan, whether newcomer or seasoned...an analysis of genius and methods rather than films alone, and one which holds up well against movie reviewer surveys or biographies alone." * California Bookwatch *
