+8
City Lights
A front runner has emerged.
Chaplin’s City Lights is a delightful film, filled with many gags punctuated with some sweet moments and some rather tragic moments as well. I laughed several times, especially the beginning scene with the statue being unveiled, and the boxing match. His talent were on full display, as usual. What made this even more amazing was it had been made during the advent of the sound era.
The fact that Chaplin refused to film this in sound (although it does have sound effects, such as the whistle he inadvertently swallowed), all dialogue was presented in inter titles. He didn’t believe the “talkies” would survive. Perhaps he was really just paranoid at how well The Tramp would transfer over to the “talkies”.
At its heart, there’s a sweet romance here, an innocent one where he just wants to help the girl, played by Virginia Cherrill, in a fragile, yet confident performance. She easily convinced us of her blindness. He doesn’t see her as a conquest or some charity case. He legitimately adores her.
But this all Chaplin’s film, so he is the focus of the film, and rightly so. He makes every scene work, with his little gestures, and his facial expressions.
Great film, one that will difficult to top.