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My Autobiography (Neversink) Kindle Edition
Take an unforgettable journey with the man George Bernard Shaw called “the only genius to come out of the movie industry” as he moves from his impoverished South London childhood to the heights of Hollywood wealth and fame; from the McCarthy-era investigations to his founding of United Artists to his “reverse migration” back to Europe.
Charlie Chaplin’s heartfelt and hilarious autobiography—one of the very first celebrity memoirs—tells the story of his life, showcasing all the charms, peculiarities and deeply-held beliefs that made him such an endearing and lasting character.
Re-issued as part of Melville House’s Neversink Library, My Autobiography offers dedicated Chaplin fans and casual admirers alike an astonishing glimpse into the heart and the mind of Hollywood’s original genius maverick.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMelville House
- Publication dateDecember 26, 2012
- File size2506 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
—Chicago Tribune
“A moving picture of the hero himself. A truly fascinating book.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“The most original, virile book about the theater in a long, long time.”
—Atlantic Monthly
“It holds the reader entranced. Every page can be read with pleasure.”
—The Times, London
“The crucial artist of the twentieth century.”
—The New Yorker
“Among the greatest geniuses of film.”
—Roger Ebert
“Few men in this century in any field attained his stature with the public.”
—The New York Times
“Chaplin was not just ‘big,’ he was gigantic. In 1915, he burst onto a war-torn world bringing it the gift of comedy, laughter and relief while it was tearing itself apart through World War I. Over the next 25 years, through the Great Depression and the rise of Adolf Hitler, he stayed on the job. . . It is doubtful any individual has ever given more entertainment, pleasure and relief to so many human beings when they needed it the most.”
—Martin Sieff
“For me, comedy begins with Charlie Chaplin. I know there were screen comedies before he came along . . . But none of them created a persona as unique or indelible as the Little Tramp, and no one could match his worldwide impact.”
—Leonard Maltin
From the Publisher
About the Author
DAVID ROBINSON is a film critic and author and a biographer of Charlie Chaplin. His Chaplin: His Life and Art is regarded as the definitive book on the subject.
Product details
- ASIN : B009U9SABS
- Publisher : Melville House; Reprint edition (December 26, 2012)
- Publication date : December 26, 2012
- Language : English
- File size : 2506 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 650 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #300,985 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #130 in Movie Director Biographies
- #158 in Biographies of Comedians
- #328 in Biographies of Actors & Actresses
- Customer Reviews:
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[SPOILER ALERT!]
I especially loved reading the parts about him going unrecognized dressed as himself. He was humbled when he first found out how popular he truly was. He went unrecognized on a train until it became known he was on the train. He was even the last in line for the washroom and waited in line like everyone else. There was another time when he was in NY that a cab driver drove him around all night looking for a hotel. He was trying to avoid people at his hotel but all the hotels were full. The cab driver, not recognizing him, invited him to stay with him and his family. Charlie hesitated but decided to trust him. The cab driver and his family were very surprised and happy to have him stay there as their guest. The accommodations were humble but better than what he had as a boy in London so he didn't complain.
As for the scandal in his life, he talks about it in a very matter of fact way. Even he admitted he wasn't a total angel. However, hearing it from his side, shame on the US press, legal system, and government for the way they treated him. He did not deserve that! With his first 2 divorces, his young naive wives were manipulated by greedy lawyers who just saw dollar signs. So they dragged his name through the mud and scandalized the whole thing to get as much out of him as they could. The Joan Barry trial and family court hearings were used by the FBI to try to tarnish his name further. He was thankfully cleared of all criminal charges. However, in family court, he wasn't so lucky. Blood tests proved he wasn't the father of Joan Barry's child; but they were inadmissible in court at that time. Therefore, with circumstantial evidence alone, he was ruled as the father and had to pay child support. Unbelievable! Today Joan Barry would have had stalking and harassment charges brought against her. What a nut!
The Communist accusations were a huge miscarriage of justice. He was not a Communist aka enemy of the US. If he had joined a US political party, I believe he would have been a Liberal Democrat. He may have associated with Communists, but that's guilt by association. He had fans and friends who were Communists before it was considered a dirty word. And he didn't believe in snubbing them when it did become a dirty word. Charlie was a humanitarian. Nothing more! He wanted to help people and help make the world a better place by pulling down barriers. He promoted peace and pointed out the evils in this world to try to get people thinking about them. His hope was perhaps they would see the evils and do something to change things for the better. Nothing wrong with that. His films are still relevant today because they are about human nature. The reason they are so hilarious is because there is so much truth in them, even today. As he put it (paraphrasing), the only thing he was guilty of was being a nonconformist. Amen to that! He was a rebel. I admire that about him because I'm a bit of a rebel myself. It took a lot of courage for him to speak the truth.
I'm just glad he was finally vindicated of all of this 20 years after he left the US. He received a lifetime achievement Academy Award in 1972 and was invited to the US to receive that award. However, this autobiography was written prior to that happening. Also, when the FBI files were released to the public 50 years later, there was no evidence found that proved he was a Communist either. Despite this, it just saddens and infuriates me that he was treated so poorly. Just imagine how many more films he might have made if he hadn't gone through all that. His three films after The Great Dictator were either boycotted or banned in the US for years. They are real gems! Great films that I am so glad I had the opportunity to watch and own copies of them.
After reading about his near death experiences, he definitely had someone looking out for him. He had a sixth sense about his safety, even as a child, and had some near misses. That explains why he was an agnostic. With the experiences he had, he had to believe there was a higher power out there. He was saved, I believe, because he had a purpose. His movies speak for themselves in this case. He spoke the truth and gave laughter and hope when there was none.
He was not only a great comedian, but also a great visionary and artist who had the courage to pave his own path and not conform to society's norms. Because of this, his movies will remain relevant for many years to come.
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2023
We know he was a man of the world but I wanted more about the film side. But 4 out of 5 isn't bad.
Chaplin wrote this book at a time when tell all biography was not what it is today and while he shares some interesting perceptions about various personalities he is by today's standards quite discreet.
I found this book incredibly interesting on a number of levels , First Chaplin himself is a very interesting character. Secondly, the other people who float in and out of his life are fascinating. Finally and perhaps most entertainingly for me are his descriptions of early Hollywood and the foundations of the movie industry.
All of these factors added up to an amazing read and I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in movies or in early 20th century culture.
Top reviews from other countries
Otro detalle: Chaplin falleció en 1977 con 88 años. Pues un año antes, en 1976, recuperó de sus archivos privados la última película muda que había rodado con Edna Purviance, el largometraje "Una mujer de París" (1923), para reestrenarla con una banda sonora musical compuesta por Chaplin especialmente para ella. No sé si llegó a tiempo de acabar el proyecto, pero esto dice mucho acerca del cálido recuerdo que guardaba de ella.
Hay amores y relaciones que trascienden el tiempo y otras cosas. El libro es realmente ilustrativo para los interesados en conocer detalles de la vida de Chaplin en la época de los inicios del Cine que, si no los explica el autor, hubieran permanecido desconocidos para el gran público. Existe también traducción al español de esta Autobiografía.
Reviewed in Spain on August 21, 2021
Otro detalle: Chaplin falleció en 1977 con 88 años. Pues un año antes, en 1976, recuperó de sus archivos privados la última película muda que había rodado con Edna Purviance, el largometraje "Una mujer de París" (1923), para reestrenarla con una banda sonora musical compuesta por Chaplin especialmente para ella. No sé si llegó a tiempo de acabar el proyecto, pero esto dice mucho acerca del cálido recuerdo que guardaba de ella.
Hay amores y relaciones que trascienden el tiempo y otras cosas. El libro es realmente ilustrativo para los interesados en conocer detalles de la vida de Chaplin en la época de los inicios del Cine que, si no los explica el autor, hubieran permanecido desconocidos para el gran público. Existe también traducción al español de esta Autobiografía.