Kathryn Millard Movies

Charlie Chaplin first appeared on screen as "the Little Tramp" in a 1914 short Kid Auto Races in Venice, and within two years he among the most recognizable figures in the history of motion pictures. Chaplin made his last film in 1967 and died ten years later, but his most memorable character is still beloved by film fans around the world, which can be confirmed by a visit to Adipur, a city in Western India. The Charlie Circle of Adipur is a Chaplin fan club whose members not only screen the great comic's films on a regular basis, but dress up as their favorite screen star and stage fundraisers for the underprivileged, following the Little Tramp's egalitarian example. While researching a documentary on Chaplin fandom around the world, filmmaker Kathryn Millard became aware of Adipur's Chaplin Circle, and The Boot Cake offers a look into the group's annual celebration of Chaplin's birthday, as well as other fans and impersonators far from America and the United Kingdom. (The title comes from a traditional treat at the Charlie Circle's gatherings -- a cake in the shape of a boot, in tribute to a memorable scene in Chaplin's 1925 classic The Gold Rush.) The Boot Cake was an official selection at the 2009 Palm Beach International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This is a quite short independently produced film about a homecoming. Rosie (Cate Blanchett) returns to Adelaide for her father Cliff's funeral. Some of the wry humor in this drama is underscored by the use of Chamber of Commerce-type promotional films about Adelaide, made in the '50s and '60s. Cliff (Tony Martin) left Rosie's mother some time before the story begins, and in the intervening years she hasn't spent much time with him. Cliff's mistress (Carmel Johnson) invites Rosie to stick around a while. She does and begins investigating his life during the time they were apart. There are hints that though he was a policeman, he was somehow involved in the drug trade. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide