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View Full Version : A King In New York (1957) - hownos/Allaby viewing session


hownos
03-29-25, 08:21 PM
tonite at 7:30pm Eastern

Allaby
03-29-25, 08:23 PM
Should be good. I've seen 8 films directed by and starring Chaplin.

Allaby
03-29-25, 08:30 PM
Starting now.

hownos
03-29-25, 08:31 PM
start

Allaby
03-29-25, 08:33 PM
I like the music in this opening scene.

hownos
03-29-25, 08:33 PM
chaplin used to compose his own music for his movies

Allaby
03-29-25, 08:41 PM
This fake trailer is funny.

"I'm going to kill you...for your own good"

hownos
03-29-25, 08:47 PM
what year is this set in?

Allaby
03-29-25, 08:53 PM
what year is this set in?

They haven't said a year, but I believe it is set in the 50s.

Allaby
03-29-25, 08:56 PM
The outfits in this are pretty nice.

hownos
03-29-25, 09:05 PM
Dawn Adams was an actual princess during this movie. She never had much of a career.

Allaby
03-29-25, 09:07 PM
I wonder if this is one of the first films with reference to hidden cameras or if there were earlier ones?

Allaby
03-29-25, 09:16 PM
Chaplin's real life son, Michael Chaplin, is playing Rupert.

hownos
03-29-25, 09:35 PM
the singer shani wallis is still alive.

hownos
03-29-25, 09:56 PM
This wasn't released in the USA until 1972.

Allaby
03-29-25, 10:11 PM
The imdb (7.0/10) and letterboxd (3.5/5) ratings for this movie are equivalent.

hownos
03-29-25, 10:14 PM
It's hard to believe how controversial this was in America,

Allaby
03-29-25, 10:16 PM
There were some wonderful comedic sequences, but not everything landed. It's witty, but not as funny as it could have been. The satire is there, but could have been sharper and stronger. I enjoyed the performances, especially by Chaplin and his son. Overall, it is a little uneven, but still pretty entertaining. 3.5

hownos
04-04-25, 10:37 PM
my take


The slapstick comedy doesn't work but the message of this movie is more relevant today than ever. Authoritarianism either from the left or right or the populist nonsense we see today is never good. Chaplin's life long flaw was his lack of criticism of communism. He should have mocked Stalin as he did Hitler. That would have gave him credibilty. The movie makes it point, Chaplin paid the price by being banned from entry into the USA. 7/10