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http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/direct-chair/chaplin.htm
UK 1957

 

The 2025 Criterion Blu-ray of A Woman of Paris is compared HERE

 

During the years of its exile, strange rumors grew up about Charlie Chaplin's "A King in New York." It was released in England in 1957, got lukewarm reviews, and was never screened or released in this country. But somehow the word got around that it was a bitter, cynical, anti-American film, made by a man who had turned against the country that nurtured him.


All of this turns out to be a lot of baloney. "A King in New York" doesn't rank with Chaplin's greatest work, but it is good stuff and there are three or four scenes of marvelous comic invention. And it's a hopeful film, more bittersweet than bitter. Only the hysterical frenzies of the Joe McCarthy era could have made it seem otherwise.


It's hard to understand today how controversial Chaplin had become in the early 1950s; old newspaper photos show American Legionnaires picketing theaters where his movies were playing. He sailed for his native England in 1952, and his ship was barely out of the harbor when the U.S. government announced he would be denied a re-entry permit. There was a problem about a paternity suit and certain questions about his personal morals - but mostly the attorney general resented his opposition to the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Excerpt from Roger Ebert's review at the Chicago-Sun Times located HERE

 

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 12th, 1957

Reviews                                                           More Reviews                                                                DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover

   

CLICK to order from:
Distribution Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC

NTSC (North America) - Individually from Warner:

         

or in Warner Boxset Vol. 2 with City Lights / The Circus / The Kid / A King in New York / A Woman of Paris / Monsieur Verdoux / The Chaplin Revue / Charlie - The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin:

      

PAL (Europe, Japan) - For Multi-region'er's (or those living in a PAL standard country) Beaver encourages the purchase of these PAL editions which are transferred from the same broadcast standard as the DVD playback (not sold individually). The Chaplin Collection Vol.2 - The Circus / City Lights /The Kid / Monsieur Verdoux / A King in New York / A Woman in Paris (missing bonus disc with The Chaplin Revue / Charlie - The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin):

    

Runtime 1:49:32 
Video 1:33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 4.71 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:

Audio English (Dolby Digital 2.0) 
Subtitles None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Image Entertainment

Aspect Ratio:
Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

• Contains Two Chaplin Films: King in New York (1957, 109 min.) & A Woman of Paris (1923, 91 min., Silent)
• Seven minutes of additional footage cut from A King in New York by Chaplin after the premiere
• Footage of Chaplin conducting at the King in New York recording session
• Restored footage in A Woman of Paris, plus supplementary materials
• Trailers from re-releases of both films

DVD Release Date: April 11th, 2000
Snapper Case
Chapters: 10

 

Comments:

I never had a big problem with most of my early Chaplin Image Entertainment DVDs. As stated previously, the newer Warners do have better contrast (and extras) but this Image release has decent sharpness although it is rather 'washed out' in appearance for a film from 1957. I was quite disappointed that all the NTSC Warner DVD's came from an unconverted PAL source and some are cropped from their original theatrical pillar-boxed ratio, but no one ever wants to hear about that. If you can't live with 4% PAL speedup then this Image release is your only option, but for those who are not NTSC region-locked we recommend the PAL edition package which, unfortunately, doesn't include the Chaplin Revue (which can be bought separately HERE). The image quality is superior and the individual discs have the same extra features. 

As well as including 'A Woman of Paris', there are a few interesting tidbit inclusions in this Image release.  Seven minutes of additional footage cut from A King in New York by Chaplin after the premiere and footage of Chaplin conducting at the King in New York recording session.  

Gary W. Tooze

 




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Recommended Reading on Chaplin (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)

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http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/direct-chair/chaplin.htm
USA 1923

 

The 2025 Criterion Blu-ray of A Woman of Paris is compared HERE

 

At the height of his success (after making The Kid and The Pilgrim), the most famous entertainer in the world wanted to direct a different kind of picture. He left First National and helped form United Artists. The first film he made for the new company was this off-beat portrait of a Paris courtesan, part romantic tragedy, part comedy of manners. It is only one of two Chaplin films in which he does not star.

The story is simple, and not very interesting, if truth be told. But what Chaplin did with it makes the film important. The acting is understated, much more than so than most American films of the period. The pacing flows naturally - Chaplin allows scenes to develop their inner logic without trying to force effects. He manipulates light and space in novel ways - the scene in the train station, for instance, uses light to suggest a passing train without showing the train, while at the same fully expressing the young woman's anguish, with no need for any melodramatic acting on her part, just a simple gaze offscreen. This was a new kind of artistry in American films, and disproves the old idea that Chaplin was not a "cinematic" director. Also new was the amusing, slightly jaded air of continental gaiety. Menjou's performance is a model of wit in this regard. The story turns soggy towards the end, and Purviance (at the end of her relationship with Chaplin) seems too old for the part, but it's one of the more inventive experiments from the early 20s. Most critics praised it. Its style also made an impression on other directors - Lubitsch cited it as a major influence - but it failed with the public. It seems they wouldn't accept a Chaplin film without The Tramp. He withdrew it from circulation for fifty years, after which he finally released it again, to critical acclaim.

Excerpt from Chris Dashiell's review at CineScene.com located HERE.

Theatrical Release: September 26th, 1923

Reviews                                                       More Reviews                                                      DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover

   

CLICK to order from:
Distribution Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC

NTSC (North America) - Individually from Warner:

         

or in Warner Boxset Vol. 2 with City Lights / The Circus / The Kid / A King in New York / A Woman of Paris / Monsieur Verdoux / The Chaplin Revue / Charlie - The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin:

      

PAL (Europe, Japan) - For Multi-region'er's (or those living in a PAL standard country) Beaver encourages the purchase of these PAL editions which are transferred from the same broadcast standard as the DVD playback (not sold individually). The Chaplin Collection Vol.2 - The Circus / City Lights /The Kid / Monsieur Verdoux / A King in New York / A Woman in Paris (missing bonus disc with The Chaplin Revue / Charlie - The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin):

    

Runtime 1:30:48 
Video 1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 4.71 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s 

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:

Audio Silent (Dolby Digital 2.0) 
Subtitles None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Image Entertainment Home Video

Aspect Ratio:
Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

• Contains Two Chaplin Films: King in New York (1957, 109 min.) & A Woman of Paris (1923, 91 min., Silent)
• Seven minutes of additional footage cut from A King in New York by Chaplin after the premiere
• Footage of Chaplin conducting at the King in New York recording session
• Restored footage in A Woman of Paris, plus supplementary materials
• Trailers from re-releases of both films

 DVD Release Date: April 11th, 2000
Snapper Case
Chapters: 8

 

Comments:

The 2025 Criterion Blu-ray of A Woman of Paris is compared HERE

This image is fairly consistent and in reasonable shape and the Image Entertainment DVD holds up alright even if it is non-progressive (see combing evident in last capture). The audio (Chaplin's own score) is in reasonable shape but does suffer from its age occasionally with rough transitions from reel changes (I assume). The Extras are kind of neat with a slide show of stills of the original programme, some notes and the 1960s theatrical re-release.

Gary W. Tooze

 




DVD Menus


 

Intertitle Sample

 

 

 

Screen Captures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combing Evident...
 

 

 

Recommended Reading on Chaplin (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)

Check out more in "The Library"

 

 




 

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