Directed by:
Charlie ChaplinCinematography:
Roland TotherohCast:
Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Harry Myers, Albert Austin, Jean Harlow, Henry Bergman, Robert Parrish, Tiny Ward, Hank Mann, Robert Graves, Leila McIntyre (more)Plots(1)
The most cherished film by Charles Chaplin is also his ultimate Little Tramp chronicle. The writer-director-star achieved new levels of grace, in both physical comedy and dramatic poignancy, with this silent tale of a lovable vagrant falling for a young blind woman who sells flowers on the street (a magical Virginia Cherrill) and mistakes him for a millionaire. Though this Depression-era smash was made after the advent of sound, Chaplin remained steadfast in his love for the expressive beauty of the pre-talkie form. The result was the epitome of his art and the crowning achievement of silent comedy. (Criterion)
(more)Reviews (4)
An interesting thing is that, while Chaplin can sort of bore me in short films and some of his gags tend to be stretched, he (thankfully) doesn’t in feature films. City Lights is a big caresses punctuated by bursts of laughter - the boxing match is much better than in The Champion (1915), the night to morning parties are perfect... There is also the beautiful romance and the ending, which is not melancholically bitter, but somehow warm and full of hope. ()
I'm not going to write about what a genius Chaplin is, because we all know that already. And yet, I was again struck by how perfect this film is, how brilliantly it brings the two storylines together and how it manages to both royally entertain and move with a beautiful romantic plot. Charlie's boxing match remains one of the funniest scenes to this day, while the ending could easily aspire to the title of the most touching in cinema. One of the greatest gems of the golden era of silent movies. 100% ()
Charlie Chaplin once again demonstrates his incredible inventiveness when it comes to the structure and continuity of individual scenes. Moreover, he proves to us that even in comedy, there is also a plot, and he has created quite interesting characters, apart from his classic Tramp, of course. The eccentric millionaire is excellent, and the blind flower girl is beautifully touching. Once again, a film that works in every moment. ()