Review of City Lights (1931) by Thomas M — 10 Jan 2010

This is the greatest comedy ever made. Hands down. I love this movie. Every single frame of it. Just everything that makes a great comedy is handed down from this very film. The combination of comedy and drama had not really been down that well till this movie came along and proved it can be done.

Even to this day comedies don't get made as well as this. Poignancy and slapstick combine. In this Charlie Chaplin makes his definitive portrayal of the little tramp. The way they open this movie to introduce the tramp.

Sleeping on a park statue while all the pompous arrogent political bimbo's (and I mean that in the dated meaning of idiot) talk about some meaningless tribute to some guy who did something once and instead of just giving us some dry speech they have them all talk jibberish and nonsense.

From this point it only gets better as it goes along. Along the tramps many travels and shenanigans he meets a blind flower girl in the street. He instantly falls in love with her and wants to help her win her eyesight back.

At around the same time he stops a millionair drunkard from killing himself. And proceeds to befriends him. Unitll he sobers up and has no clue who he is. What follows is great slapstick comedy involving the tramps many attempts to win the money for her.

Untill he meets the suicidal drunkard again and gets the money from him. After successfully helping the flower girl receive her eyesight back he is arrested for stealing the money as the millionair doesn't recall giving him the money.

What follows is the greatest ending of all time. And it is so subtle in how it accomplishes it. Today we would have Robin Williams or Jim Carrey hamming it up or maybe Eddie Murphey cracking wise. But here Chaplin handles the pathos and sentimentality of the ending with such panache that any of his future transgressions ("Monsiuer Verdoux", "A King in New York and to a lesser extent "Limelight".

1947, 1957 and 1952 respectively). Charlie Chaplin had a way with film making that other comedic talents of the day (Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd) weren't able to reach. That he was able to make a fortune off a silent movie in 1932 was a wonder.

Silent movies were dead since 1928 when all the movie studios switched to sound after the raging success of the first talkie "The Jazz Singer". Which was only partially sound. I wish comedy film makers now where able to make comedies this good wheras they are more interest in making comedies situated around sex and bodily functions.

Though that is funny it doesn't take much thought to make something funny out of these things. Whereas coming up with humor that is universal such as Chaplin is what makes a great movie. Also the fact that Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, starred, produced, conducted the music, and distributed all his movies makes him the ultimate auteur.

Todd Phillips ("The Hangover") doesn't have anything on Charlie Chaplin. I have probably watched this movie over a hundred times now. And just keeps getting better.