Limelight (1952 film)
| Limelight | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Charlie Chaplin |
| Produced by | Charlie Chaplin |
| Written by | Charlie Chaplin |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Charlie Chaplin |
| Cinematography | Karl Struss |
| Edited by | Joe Inge |
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Production
company |
Celebrated Productions
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| Distributed by | |
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Release date
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Running time
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137 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $900,000 |
| Box office | $1,000,000 (domestic) $7,000,000 (outside USA) |
Limelight is a 1952 comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Charlie Chaplin. Unlike his earlier films, the score was composed by Chaplin and arranged by Ray Rasch, marking this as the first film that he did not musically arrange.
The film stars Chaplin as a washed-up comedian who saves a suicidal dancer from killing herself, played by Claire Bloom, and both try to get through life; additional roles are provided by Nigel Bruce, Sydney Chaplin as Sydney Earl Chaplin, Wheeler Dryden, and Norman Lloyd with an appearance from Buster Keaton. In dance scenes, Bloom is doubled by Melissa Hayden.
Upon the film's release, critics' reception was divided; it was heavily boycotted in the United States, and commercially failed, but was re-released in 1972 and honored at the 45th Academy Awards. Today, the film is sometimes regarded as one of Chaplin's best and most personal works, and has since attained a cult following.
The movie is set in London in 1914, on the eve of World War I (and the year Chaplin made his first film). Calvero (Charles Chaplin), once a famous stage clown but now a washed-up drunk, saves a young dancer, Thereza "Terry" Ambrose (Claire Bloom), from suicide. Nursing her back to health, Calvero helps Terry regain her self-esteem and resume her dancing career. In doing so he regains his own self-confidence, but his attempts to make a comeback meet with failure. Terry says she wants to marry Calvero despite their age difference, although she has befriended Neville (Sydney Earl Chaplin), a young composer Calvero believes would be better suited to her. In order to give them a chance, Calvero leaves home and becomes a street entertainer. Terry, now starring in her own show, eventually finds Calvero and persuades him to return to the stage for a benefit concert. Reunited with an old partner (Buster Keaton), Calvero gives a triumphant comeback performance. He suffers a heart attack during a routine, however, and dies in the wings while watching Terry, the second act on the bill, dance on stage.
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Wikipedia