Limelight
A very personal film – probably intended as Chaplin’s farewell film – about an old clown who was once acclaimed but whose work has been forgotten.
Calvero, once a famous Music Hall star, now a washed-up old man, saves a neighbour from suicide. He nurtures the young ballerina with paralysed legs back to health, and helps her regain her self-esteem so that she may return to the stage.
In this film, Charlie Chaplin intimately and poignantly explores the twilight years of glory: what it means to be forgotten, to despair and how to gather the strength to overcome. Chaplin also offers Buster Keaton a highly memorable appearance in their musical duet.
Charles Chaplin, USA, 1952, 137 min. English spoken, Dutch subtitles.
With Charles Chaplin, Claire Bloom, Buster Keaton, Sydney Chaplin.