Charlie Chaplin and His Times
Loved by millions in his heyday, exiled into obscurity in his middle age, and worshipped anew  in his final years, Charlie Chaplin has been the subject of many biographies. In this book, Kenneth S. Lynn  focuses on Chaplin's personal, political, and romantic associations. Lynn sees Chaplin's obsessive egotism  and brutality toward women as a result of his obscure London upbringing and the torment and  embarrassment his mentally disturbed mother caused him. Lynn also takes a fresh look at Chaplin's alleged  victimization at the hands of immigration officials in the 1950s and performs an intriguing psychological  reading ofLimelight, which he considers  Chaplin's most autobiographical film. Along the way, Lynn provides mini-histories of issues and events  that shaped Chaplin's life, including a consideration of the tramp in early 20th-century America,  biographies of famous silent film stars, and an account of the House Committee on Un-American  Activities.