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At a time when the film industry's biggest debate is merely how much sex and violence is too much, "A King in New York" is a poignant reminder of how crusading film can be.
Panned by contemporary critics, and effectively banned in the USA for 16 years, the film remains as a testament to Chaplin's determination to expose what he perceived as the political failings of the society that rejected him.
Shot entirely in England - having been expelled from his adopted homeland - Chaplin plays the exiled King Shahdov of Estrovia, who arrives in New York after he is deposed in his homeland. Sensing an opportunity, a shrewd TV personality (Dawn Addams) hoists the bumbling ex-monarch on to television, and sure enough, he becomes an overnight celebrity.
Soon the King's friendship with an acutely political 10-year-boy (played by Chaplin's son Michael) leads to him being denounced as a Communist, and brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee.
The film's mix of politics and comedy is both its strength and its weakness. In its attempt to be political the jokes sometimes fall flat, and at times are painfully bad. Equally, its politics are slightly confused, and the decision to suppress the film's release says more about McCarthyite paranoia than Chaplin's radical agenda. However, in trying to do both, the film becomes unique. A powerful invective by Chaplin as an auteur, and a fascinating artefact of cinematic archaeology, it preserves forever something of the bizarre climate of cultural apartheid in 1950s USA.
"A King in New York" can be seen at 10.50am on 大象传媒2, Thursday 28th September.
