A 60TH ANNIVERSARY PRESENTATION OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN’S FINAL MASTERPIECE

FEATURING ACTORS CLAIRE BLOOM AND NORMAN LLOYD IN PERSON

PRESENTED AS AN INSTALLMENT OF THE JACK OAKIE CELEBRATION OF COMEDY IN FILM

Perhaps his most autobiographical and underrated film, Charlie Chaplin’s "Limelight" offers a particularly poignant backstage portrait of the music halls that were the training ground of one of the screen’s first comedic geniuses. 

Produced just before his re-entry permit to the United States was revoked during his travels abroad, the film is a bittersweet time capsule, reflecting the mindset of an artist whose world was changing around him, even as a new love managed to comfort and surprise him. Featuring Claire Bloom in what was only her second film, "Limelight" is a tender and often humorous love story that revels in the details of life onstage. The film’s brief, but tantalizing, scene between Chaplin and his closest comedic rival, Buster Keaton, is yet another facet of the film’s charm.

Claire Bloom, who stars as Thereza the ballet dancer, and Norman Lloyd, who appears as Bodalink, discussed their work with Chaplin and the influence he had on their distinguished careers.

The Jack Oakie Celebration of Comedy in Film provides an opportunity for established filmmakers and historians to share their experiences and to discuss the specific challenges and delights of the comedy film genre. The lecture series is named in memory of character actor Jack Oakie, whose career included vaudeville, Broadway musicals and 87 pictures, most of them comedies or musical comedies. His career included such notable films as "Once in a Lifetime," "Million Dollar Legs" and "It Happened Tomorrow," and was crowned by his portrayal of a Mussolini-like head of state in "The Great Dictator," for which he received an Academy Award nomination.