"A King in New York" (1957) Charlie Chaplin (talkie)

[Bob Pr.]

This was the last of the Charles Chaplin films shown at the KU Alum Assocn/Endacott Society's monthly film series. (Our next 3 will be Orson Welles, followed by 3 of Montgomery Clift.)

This movie was the last one Chaplin made in which he also starred. In the 1950s, American hysteria over communists and communist sympathizers and allegations that Chaplin was either one or the other emboldened J. Edgar Hoover to block Chaplin from returning to the USA from a European trip Chaplin was on in 1952. (Contemporary bad publicity about Chaplin's private life didn't help CC's standing with the public.)

This movie was made in 1957 and tweaks some American fetishes and attitudes: its anti-anything-left-of-right-wing, Sen. Joe McCarthy and the House UA committee, plus our American TV ads and commercialism, our fear of looking old, plastic surgery, waves of press hysteria, US "progressive" education, etc. The movie wasn't shown in the USA until about 15 years after its European release.

Chaplin typically worked on his full length movies for a year or more in Hollywood with a crew of intimates he'd assembled over the years; often many scenes were shot well over 100 times until it suited CC perfectly. "AKiNY" was made in just 12 weeks in an UK studio with people largely unfamiliar to Chaplin. So maybe we should consider it as a first draft of his usual final copy.

Chaplin plays a European king (King Shahdov) who escapes his country, flies to America to avoid being deposed and imprisoned. He plays the part of a royal perfectly, IMO. Shortly after arriving he finds one of his trusted officials who'd also fled with him has now left his king, but taking with him all the king's money.

Before the king can solve the dilemma of his unexpected poverty, he is taken advantage of by an attractive TV hostess of a reality show (in 1957 !!-- that was prescient!!) and that leads to a brief career in advertising commercials which supports his life style. On a trip to visit a local progressive school, he meets 12 year old Rupert (played by Chaplin's son, Michael) who spouts left wing political jargon he's picked up from his parents. The parents are later charged and sent to jail as communist sympathizers and Rupert ends up by chance in the king's care. The king also gets charged with being a communist sympathizer -- but finally acquitted.

We get a few, rare glimpses of the vintage Chaplin facial expressions and sight gags (as when his finger gets stuck in the nozzle of a fire hose). But most sight gags are performed by people other than "the king" (Chaplin).

While this isn't Chaplin at his very best, it's still quite good and, for lovers of Chaplin's work, an essential film to experience (as also is "Limelight," one of his VERY best so "AKiNY" is a slightly lesser-than). As usual, Chaplin wrote and directed this film plus composed ALL its music.

I'll rate this 8 of 10 stars because of its importance to Chaplin's body of work -- 7 of 10 if anyone else was doing an equally excellent job portraying the king.

For more info see A King in New York (1957)