A lovable tramp falls in love with a blind flower girl and tries to find
a way to pay for an operation that will give her back her sight. COMEDY
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City Lights (1931)Written and Directed by Charles Chaplin
Starring Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Harry Myers, Florence Lee, Al Ernest Garcia, Hank Mann |
Charlie Chaplin is quite possibly the greatest comedic actor who ever lived. He pioneered the entire genre and practically invented slapstick comedy alongside Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. While Chaplin's comedic genius was best expressed in his hilarious short films, he explored his talent for filmmaking in his motion pictures. City Lights showed Chaplin fans everywhere that the Little Tramp could do drama just as good as he could do comedy. This film hits every note for Chaplin. It's got sight gags, running jokes, misunderstandings, and a heartwarming love story at its center.
Chaplin was best known for his character of the Little Tramp, a lovable but obnoxious vagabond who gets into all sorts of mischief. In City Lights, the Tramp stops a drunk millionaire from killing himself and becomes best friends with him, only to find that upon sobering up, the millionaire has no memory of the Tramp whatsoever. These ongoing exchanges make for some hilarious laughs that always seem to end with the stuffy butler throwing the Tramp out. Then, of course, there's the Tramp's relationship with the Flower Girl. It's a testament to Chaplin's talent as an actor and a director that he can convey love onscreen with not a single word of dialogue. Throughout the film, you can tell that even though he's a bit of a liar and a cheat, the Tramp really cares for her and would do anything to help her. It's a simple love story that I think could teach modern filmmakers a lesson in subtlety and simplicity. While it may not be my favorite of Chaplin's feature length films, (that title still belongs to The Gold Rush), City Lights is a fantastic example of his versatility as an entertainer. It's one of his few forays into drama with the Tramp, though I wish he'd done more. Despite his reputation as a fussy perfectionist, Chaplin really did pour his heart and soul into his work. Such dedication shows with films like City Lights, which has stood the test of time for nearly a century. Chaplin pretty much defined the era of silent film and there truly will never be another like him. |