Limelight (1952)

14 June 2019

Limelight (1952) is a movie starring Charles Chaplin about a washed up comedian that saves the life of a dancer that tried to commit suicide. It also stars Claire Bloom (discovered by Chaplin, she's been in a lot of films since), Nigel Bruce, and Buster Keaton (in his only on-screen appearance together with Chaplin).

This was a heavily autobiographical film for Chaplin, and was boycotted heavily in the US with its release (Chaplin left the US because of scandal and declining popularity around this time). However, the musical score won an Academy Award in 1972 (eligible because it did not screen in Los Angeles until then).

The film itself is a little on the long side (137min) but it is a pretty solid story, especially in the beginning and end. The rising and falling of the main characters makes this movie; the soundtrack does stand out as well with Terry's Theme, or with lyrics the song Eternally ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GaZPzEuK5g ). 7/10. 7/10