A couple of Chaplin's own
compositions are worked in for certain occasions, most notably
Smile which is a lovely theme that works well alongside Barry's
music. Salt Lake City Episode features music from Chaplin's score
to City Lights and is absolutely typical silent
movie music. It must be said that it has perhaps more energy than
Barry's imitation, but I suspect that had this frenetic style of
writing been used more often, it would have swamped
Attenborough's more sensitive film. There are two versions of the
The Roll Dance both of which sound strangely familiar although I
can't place them. There is occasionally a dip into Barry's more
epic disposition, most notably in the rousing and percussive
opening of To California which shines a little optimism after the
strangely subdued Charlie Proposes. The only negative feature of the
score is Robert Downey Jnr's unflattering performance of Smile
which is neither good on its own terms nor fits in with the rest
of the score. However its location at the end of the disc means
it can easily be missed out. I would not argue that this is a
terribly atypical Barry score; it features all the major
components of a typical contemporary Barry score, strong themes,
lush orchestration, perfect attention to the dramatic needs of
the film and of course rounded cues that function beautifully
with or without the pictures. However, the occasional break into
lightly comedic scoring along with Barry's willingness to
appropriately place some of Chaplin's own music in the mix
provides for a superior example of Barry's work and ranks as one
of the highlights of his more recent output. Rating ~ Total Time ~ 49:35If the score alone is anything to
go by, Charlie Chaplin was a sad figure away from the screen,
depsite being a lively comic genius when on display. Whenever
this score is mentioned, director Richard Attenborough tells of
how Barry's mournful and instrospective main title theme made him
cry. The opening scene is of Chaplin removing his makeup which
isn't anything special in itself, but when coupled with Barry's
music, the character of the private man is transcribed in music
beautifully. Chaplin's sad, dejected, yet romantic theme provides
the central melody, but that is not to say the score is not
without more joyful moments. Early Days in London and cues such
as The Wedding Chase feature music written in a style that echoes
the kind of chase music that Chaplin's own movies and brings a
lighter tone to what could have become a very overbearing and
sombre score.
Sung by Robert Downey Jnr.