Wonderful orchestration and the Genius of Charlie Chaplin
Brian Jay Jones | Damascus, MD USA | 01/21/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A sort of "Greatest Hits" from some of Chaplin's most famous films -- and that's saying something. For those who only know Chaplin as a brilliant actor and director, it may come as a surprise that he was also one heck of a tunesmith (his most famous being the lovely and hummable tune "Smile" from his film MODERN TIMES.) And these new recordings -- using Chaplin's original scores -- preserve the charm of Chaplin's genius while still giving us clean, crisp sound. This is more than just the incidental music that sometimes lurks around on scores. The "Garrent Waltz" and "Blue Eyes" from THE KID are fully-realized songs that set a definite mood. "Kidnap," also from THE KID, frames one of film's most memorable and heartwrenching scenes, when the Kid is taken from The Tramp -- and the music swoops and swells with all the same agony and heartache, climaxing with soft violins and flutes crying through a theme that eventually became one of Chaplin's signature tunes. Good stuff.On a lighter note, the CD also contains the famous "Dance of the Rolls" from THE GOLDRUSH and "The Circus March" from THE CIRCUS, one of Chaplin's most laugh-out-loud films.It is in his music for CITY LIGHTS and MODERN TIMES, though, where Chaplin the musician really shines. The drunken vignettes of the four "Nightclub" tracks make for great listening, but it's the "Boxing Ring" music that you'll end up cranking through the stereo speakers, with its blaring trumpets and up-and-down brass line (and in these new recordings, you can even hear the frantic timpani swooshing juuuuust behind it all).The music of MODERN TIMES bring the album to an appropriate close, with the refrain from "Smile" fading out as the final fanfare swells -- fittingly enough, it was this music that played as The Tramp (with the girl finally on his arm) walked off into the sunset (or sunrise, in this case) in the final scene of what would be his last truly "silent" film.As an import, it costs a little more. But if you're a Chaplin aficianado -- or even just a collector of film scores -- this belongs in your collection."
