Wri/Dir: Charles Chaplin | US Drama
Once Chaplin finally began to talk onscreen it swiftly became apparent how fond he was of the sound of his own voice, and from that point on he never stopped – even reciting a soliloquy from Hamlet’ at one point – in ‘A King in New York’; while in support his boy Michael proves a regular chip off the old block, to whom he passes the mantle “the little fellow”.
Historically important as Chaplin’s final lead, ‘A King in New York’ proved like most of Chaplin’s later work a film whose lack of availability for several years maintained the notion that it was something special, although later reappraisal sadly proved otherwise; while Chaplin’s critique of American crassness and vulgar materialism proved heavy-handed, with it’s depiction of the HUAC as naive and simplistic as his portrayal of Hitler in ‘The Great Dictator’.
Dawn Addams’ dark gamine looks make her a classic Chaplin ingenue, Oliver Johnston, who plays his ambassador, obviously met with Chaplin’s approval since he was later invited back for ‘A Countess from Hong Kong’; while the fact that the film was made in Britain is indicated by the large number of expatriate Americans, along with Sid James in the days when he was an honorary one. @RichardChatten