Mabel, Charlie and Attenborough

I read the thread Matt started with some interest, including the
reference to the scene with Mabel and Charlie and the protests of Mabel
being depicted as a "harpy." That scene has at least some historical
fact in it, because Chaplin *did* resent Mabel directing him and they
didn't get along, at least at first. The thing that I object to is
that it puts Mabel in a bad light, when it was really Charlie's
prejudice at fault. Normand had been making movies for years and she
knew how it was done. He was a novice. Attenborough's movie goes
ignores all this and instead portrays Mabel as the girlfriend of the
head of the studio who placates her by "letting her think she can
direct movies." I don't think that Mack Sennett was the kind of man
who would just let someone mess with his bread and butter because she
was sleeping with him (or not). In any case, Mabel and Charlie
collaborated on directing a few films, but this isn't shown in the bio.
But then again, people getting along isn't good Hollywood drama.
A bigger beef I have with the film is that Hetty Kelly gets plenty of
face time and poor Edna Purviance, who Chaplin had a much longer
association with, is left on the cutting room floor. Edna only really
gets one scene, where she is sick of eating beans in The Immigrant.
No mention really of their love affair, or how torn up she must have
been when he married Mildred.
I would have liked to have seen the film cover the period from
Chaplin's childhood until United Artists was formed. Leave the
Oona/Hoover/Joan Berry stuff for a sequel.
All in all, I guess it is hard to cram 83 (since the picture ended with
Charlie receiving his special Oscar) years into three hours....