Limelight (1952)
Romance, Drama, Music • 2h 25m
Overview
A fading music hall comedian tries to help a despondent ballet dancer learn to walk and to again feel confident about life.
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Claire Bloom, Nigel Bruce, Buster Keaton, Sydney Chaplin, Norman Lloyd, Andre Eglevsky, Marjorie Bennett, Wheeler Dryden, Barry Bernard, Stapleton Kent, Molly Glessing, Leonard Mudie, Loyal Underwood, Harry 'Snub' Pollard, Julian Ludwig, Billy Lee Aimone, John Alban, Benjie Bancroft, John Barton, Ray Beltram, Paul Bradley, James Carlisle, Charles Chaplin, Jr., Geraldine Chaplin, Josephine Chaplin, Michael Chaplin, Oona O'Neill Chaplin, Bud Cokes, Harry Crocker, Oliver Cross, Billy Curtis, Jack Deery, Cyril Delevanti, Tim Durant, Tom Ferrandini, Dorothy Ford, Curt Furberg, Rudy Germane, Marion Gray, Frank Hagney, Charlie Hall, Stuart Hall, Sam Harris, Stuart Holmes, Jimmie Horan, Kenner G. Kemp, Colin Kenny, Judy Landon, Perk Lazelle, Billy Lee, Maurice Marks, Harold Miller, Frank Mills, Sherry Moreland, George Nardelli, Milicent Patrick, Jack Perry, José Portugal, Edna Purviance, Paul Ravel, Charley Rogers, Victor Romito, Elizabeth Root, Cap Somers, Gus Taillon, Valerie Vernon, Eric Wilton, Florence Wix
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1954 version: Criterion Blu-ray
Cut info: https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=31209
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1954 version: Criterion Blu-ray
Cut info: https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=31209
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Criterion Blu-ray, 4k restoration. Superior to Germany Kinowelt or Japan Kadokawa, see caps-a-holic
2000 Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Criterion Blu-ray, 4k restoration. Superior to Germany Kinowelt or Japan Kadokawa, see caps-a-holic
2000 Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Charlie Chaplin
BFI or Flicker Alley Charlie Chaplin Mutual Comedies Blu-ray boxsets use the same restoration, no comparison available
BFI Blu-ray has commentaries while Flicker Alley doesn't
Director: Charlie Chaplin
BFI or Flicker Alley Charlie Chaplin Mutual Comedies Blu-ray boxsets use the same restoration, no comparison available
BFI Blu-ray has commentaries while Flicker Alley doesn't
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Germany Arthaus 4K Blu-ray, and it has both 1925 version and 1942 version
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Germany Arthaus 4K Blu-ray, and it has both 1925 version and 1942 version
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1928 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1928 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1969 version: Criterion Blu-ray > UK Artificial Eye Blu-ray, see DVDBeaver caps. Japan Kadokawa Blu-ray is the same as AE BD and inferior to Criterion too
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1928 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1928 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1969 version: Criterion Blu-ray > UK Artificial Eye Blu-ray, see DVDBeaver caps. Japan Kadokawa Blu-ray is the same as AE BD and inferior to Criterion too
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1921 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1921 version: Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1921 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1921 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1923 version: Image Entertainment DVD. 1976 version: Criterion Blu-ray
1923 version: Image Entertainment DVD 1976 version: Criterion Blu-ray
1923 version: Image Entertainment DVD. 1976 version: Criterion Blu-ray
1923 version: Image Entertainment DVD 1976 version: Criterion Blu-ray
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Director: Jean Renoir
The Criterion 4K Blu-ray has marginally better detail and grain structure than ESC 4K Blu-ray
The ESC France 4K Blu-ray is an SDR grade erroneously presented in HDR, but if your player can force the HDR into SDR it looks very good.
Director: Jean Renoir
The Criterion 4K Blu-ray has marginally better detail and grain structure than ESC 4K Blu-ray
The ESC France 4K Blu-ray is an SDR grade erroneously presented in HDR, but if your player can force the HDR into SDR it looks very good.
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL
Director: Ridley Scott
Capelight 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: Ridley Scott
Capelight 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
More Romance on Blu-ray
Director: George Sidney
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: George Sidney
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: Vincent Ward
Director: Vincent Ward
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Kino Lorber 4k resto
The audio on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray comes from a better source than the various DVDs and the previous HD version on streaming. This audio is relatively untampered with, and is likely the best available source as no laserdisc was ever issued.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Kino Lorber 4k resto
The audio on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray comes from a better source than the various DVDs and the previous HD version on streaming. This audio is relatively untampered with, and is likely the best available source as no laserdisc was ever issued.
Director: John Ford
Director: John Ford
Director: Jean Vigo
Director: Jean Vigo
Director: Bryan Gordon
Director: Bryan Gordon
Director: John Waters
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has poor encoding see caps but still a huge improvement over the 2014 Universal Blu-ray
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray Both the 2.0 and 5.1 tracks are improvements over the 2014 Universal Blu-ray
Theatrical cut is on the 4K disc, but the restored Director's Cut is only on the Blu-Ray disc. Director's Cut utilizes the same 4K transfer as the theatrical cut for 86 minutes, but the 6 minutes of restored footage could only be salvaged from a standard definition source and are thus needed to be upscaled.
Director: John Waters
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has poor encoding see caps but still a huge improvement over the 2014 Universal Blu-ray
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray Both the 2.0 and 5.1 tracks are improvements over the 2014 Universal Blu-ray
Theatrical cut is on the 4K disc, but the restored Director's Cut is only on the Blu-Ray disc. Director's Cut utilizes the same 4K transfer as the theatrical cut for 86 minutes, but the 6 minutes of restored footage could only be salvaged from a standard definition source and are thus needed to be upscaled.
Director: Stanley Kwan Kam-Pang
Pick your poison: USA Film Movement Blu-ray (two scenes cut / censored & slight Ritrovata yellow tint) or UK 88 Films Blu-ray (DNR)
Pick your poison: USA Film Movement Blu-ray (two scenes cut / censored & slight Ritrovata yellow tint) or UK 88 Films Blu-ray (DNR). nic’s review
Director: Stanley Kwan Kam-Pang
Pick your poison: USA Film Movement Blu-ray (two scenes cut / censored & slight Ritrovata yellow tint) or UK 88 Films Blu-ray (DNR)
Pick your poison: USA Film Movement Blu-ray (two scenes cut / censored & slight Ritrovata yellow tint) or UK 88 Films Blu-ray (DNR). nic’s review
Director: Albert Brooks
Director: Albert Brooks
Edit History
6/5/2026
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Added
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12/18/2024
Best Video Release
From
Theatrical: Image LaserDisc
"Director's Cut": Criterion BD
To
Theatrical: Image Entertainment LaserDisc
From
Theatrical: Image LaserDisc
"Director's Cut": Criterion BD
To
Theatrical: Image Entertainment LaserDisc
12/18/2024
Best Video Release
From
CC
To
Theatrical: Image LaserDisc
"Director's Cut": Criterion BD
From
CC
To
Theatrical: Image LaserDisc
"Director's Cut": Criterion BD
