Review of City Lights (2014) by Dave H — 16 Aug 2015
Modern Times is sharper, funnier, more satirical than City Lights, which is probably why I prefer it. But City Lights is a far sweeter story, and has a lot more heart. Absolutely dripping with sentimentality.
..I mean, it's a friendship/romance between a tramp and a blind girl in the Great Depression...what else COULD it be. But it's carried off so deftly and gracefully, it's hard to argue that this is not a perfect film.
The pathos and the humour are exquisitely balanced here, Chaplin's silent set pieces rival Pixar's for expressionist panto...every moment is judged so delicately...never too brief, never too long.
Cherrill is captivating. The final scene, the final shot especially, is not just classic cinema, it is classic real, emotion. Flawless manipulation of the highest order. And it hasn't dated. City Lights is definitely a contender for the most timeless film in cinema history.
And gets my vote for the most charming...
This review of City Lights (2014) was written by Dave H on 16 Aug 2015.
City Lights has generally received very positive reviews.
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