Europe and Renaissance

Abstract Chapter 8 covers the French response to the two films Chaplin directed during his European exile: A King in New York (1957), widely perceived as Chaplin’s revenge for having his U.S. reentry permit withdrawn, and A Countess from Hong Kong (1967), an unsuccessful film in color with international stars (Marlon Brando, Sophia Loren) that Chaplin directed but in which he played only a bit part. The chapter also discusses film theorist Jean Mitry’s analysis of Chaplin’s development as a moviemaker. Finally, it analyzes the major part played by France in reviving his international reputation in 1970–72, which included his being honored at the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival in May 1971, and the long relationship between Chaplin and Henri Langlois of the Cinémathèque Française symbolized by Chaplin’s visit to the Cinémathèque in 1973 for a screening of Monsieur Verdoux.