The Chaplin Collection, Vol. 2 (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)

After the first Chaplin Collection, I expected a terrific second set, but this far surpassed my expectations. My sole concern for the set as announced was that all the First National shorts would not be included, and that only the three which Chaplin compiled into the feature, THE CHAPLIN REVUE, would be present. But lo and behold, THE CHAPLIN REVUE is now a two-disc set which includes the four additional First Nationals! True, the other three are presented in Chaplin's 1959 compilation format, but still, it's all here. CITY LIGHTS, THE KID, and THE CIRCUS are all given two-disc presentations with tons of extras, while MONSIEUR VERDOUX, A WOMAN OF PARIS, and A KING IN NEW YORK receive one disc apiece, in which there are still some dandy bonus features. Add to the pot a widescreen version of the over two hours long CHARLIE, Richard Schickel's recent and acclaimed documentary, and you've got an amazing wealth of Chaplin material that will keep enthusiasts busy for weeks. The visual and audio quality is stunning, and the packaging quite attractive. When you divide the cost of the set by these twelve well-packed discs, it seems a financial pittance for a fortune's worth of Chaplin. I could have paid three times the amount for this material and not felt cheated. Unconditionally recommended.

Charles Chaplin was the greatst cinematic genius of the 20th century. His brilliance was celebrated and recognized for decades, but then America brutally turned against him. How it grieved him that his adopted homeland, the country that had given him fame, riches and untold fortune, denounced him as a Communist and basically didn't allow him back into the country. What a singular disgrace. His story is told magnificently in the documentary included, "Charlie - The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin." I've watched this portion alone five times and haven't wearied of it yet. It tells Charlie's story in a simple, chronological and elegant manner, including interviews with sons Michael and Sydney, as well as daughter Geraldine. The color home movies from his years in Switzerland alone make this worth the price of admission.The movies are all stellar and includes my personal favorite Charlie film, the vastly underrated Monsieur Verdoux. What a scathing satire this was, how it showcases his incomparable talent. A bomb when it was released in 1948, it has worn well, though one wonders it was received upon it's release. America was not ready for this biting indictment of its culture.If you're a long-time Chaplin fan or a Charlie newbie, this set has something for everyone. There was only Chaplin and this set shows the entire spectrum. My highest recommendation.

I had the pleasure over the last few months of watching all of Chaplin's films in the Chaplin Collection, volumes 1 and 2, and I am a richer man for it. I came away having discovered Chaplin the mime, Chaplin the songwriter, Chaplin the comedian, Chaplin the satirist, Chaplin the peacemonger, and Chaplin the free spirit who was, I see now, the greatest artist in American cinema.I thought the films looked great, and enjoyed the late-career additions of music and film edits that Charlie made. Chaplin's singing at the beginning of "The Circus" was delightful. It was fascinating to see how his films were made, and how he put the finishing touches on them later in life. I thought the extras were very informative, though sometimes not so interesting.But the simplicity, the directness and the power of his work was the real discovery here, with its consistent message of peace, love and understanding. And the courage to maintain those principles despite enormous opposition. What artist can claim higher principles than that?Thank you, Charlie.

I guess getting 5 out 6 movies that you ordered is good enough for these guys. Leaving out City Lights and replacing it with another movie is considered close enough.Tried to contact. Ignored. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, hoping it was just a mistake and they would send the missing disk. Ignored. To expensive to just let it slide. DON'T waste your money on these bozos.

As is volume one, this set offers the best looking/sounding versions of Chaplin features to date. I would focus this review on A King In New York, only because I have recently read so many negative reviews about this film. A King In New York was produced by Chaplin while he was being banned from the United States. Without the controlled environment of his LaBrea Studios or the financial support of United Artists (and while being subjected to McCarthy era blacklisting)Chaplin managed to create an honest snapshot of 1950's America. His parody is far more benevolent than many other filmmakers in this position might have offered. I find "King" to be a genuinely funny, if modestly produced film. Monsier Verdoux requires a paradyme shift. This is not the lighthearted optimistic little tramp. This collection showcases the depth and scope of a great artist.

I received my DVD order today and I was very pleased. I ordered new/used from gm_volume. The DVD's were in excellent shape, no scratches, the box and cases were in excellent condition as well. If I see his name on anything else I want to order I will DEFFINATELY order from this person again. I played one DVD so far and it played very well.

Having purchased the first set of Chaplin films, we were excited to get this second collection. However, the storage box inside the shrink-wrap was so badly damaged, it was worthless for display and storage purposes. For a collection close to $100 in cost, we wanted the box, to keep the films together and to accompany the first boxed set on our shelf. We reordered twice from Amazon and found the same crunched and punctured box each time. A subsequent purchase via a major chain bookstore yielded the same result, causing this Chaplin-loving family to sit back and wait until the manufacturer wises up and takes better care with the next batch.

This is a great collection

A very rare and important collection of Chaplin's early career. Although digitally remastered the video is not up to mark but the audio is brilliant.

Being of the 'old' generation - that considers actors of today as pure amateurs, this collection was superb. Great acting, great stories and great entertainment

not as expected..not bad

Great purchase for a lovely DVD set of Chaplin's collection. My family loves to watch them. Beautifully done, clear image, clear soundtrack, one of a kind.