Congratulations to my colleague at Arcade, Dr. Stephen Weismann, for a pair of stellar advance reviews for his book Chaplin: A Life. Publisher's Weekly called it an "engaging…portrait of how a cinema artist is created and how he practices his craft," while the rock 'em, sock 'em Kirkus says it's "a fresh entry in the evergreen field of works devoted to Charlie Chaplin," as well as a "perceptive, literate take on the great screen clown." Awesome.
I've begged, borrowed, and cajoled my way into getting an advance copy of the book, and I'll let you know my thoughts on it, right here, as soon as possible. If you're even a casual reader of this blog, you know that Chaplin is one of my Very Favorite People Ever, and I'm really looking forward to reading this book.
Just for fun, here's four-and-a-half minutes of Chaplin doing what he does best, from my all-time favorite film of his, The Circus: