Review of City Lights (2014) by Anuwat U — 06 Aug 2010

By the year 1931 the production of silent films had stopped with the rise of the "talkies". Hollywood was overwhelmed with this productions, but Charlie Chaplin still liked the silent era. Not minding if he could talk or not, Chaplin made one more silent film that would be the best of his career.

Charlie Chaplin's colorful character The Tramp is back in one last silent adventure. When he meets and falls in love with a blind woman, and befriends an alcoholic millionaire who only remembers him when he is drunk, his advntures and funny situations start to rise in a dangerous rate. And upon learning that the woman needs money for the rent, wanting to help her he gets in more troubles than he already was.

Today I started watching my dad's Chaplin collection. Yes, the day before yesterday I re-watchd The Gold Rush, but today I decided I would start watching them. I've heard from lots of people that this is Chaplin's finest film so I decide to start with this one... and were they right! This film is the greatest Chaplin film I've seen, and not only that but also the greatest silent film I've seen, and it was released on the talking era, just so you know.

Chaplin one more time is magnificent as The Tramp, and it is possibly his best performance as him. As I said in my review of The Gold Rush, The Tramp's heart and foolishness are what make him one of the greatest characters. It is his warmth, his humor that makes us love him once again. The Tramp shows his big heart when he tries to help that poor woman. He put himself into many kinds of funny and often ridiculous jobs just to help her. His kind heart is something we don't see anymore.

This is definitely Chaplin's funniest film. In my Gold Rush review I said that was possibly the greatest comedy, I was wrong. This is the greatest comedy! Well, hard to say, Dr Strangelove is another great competitor, but this is definitely the comedy with the biggest heart.

And this film has a very good deal of memorable scenes. We have for example when he first meets the millionaire, who is about to commit suicide but he convinces him otherwise. That scene isn't only proof of his big heart, but it is also quiet clever, for mixing humoristic situations with a heroic action and a tragic decision. And we also have of course when the millionaire takes The Tramp to a restaurant. The dance sequences are very funny, like when the woman calls for her husband to dance but the little foolish tramp thinks he is calling for him. And the party, when the butler serves him a plate of some weird desert, and while he turns around and then turns back the desert is gone but the bald head of some guy is there terribly resembling to the desert. But my favorite has of course to be the boxing match. That has to be the greatest and funniest boxing scene in cinema. And he is the greatest boxer in movie history; no Rocky Balboa, no Jake LaMotta, The Tramp! Ok, maybe I am exagerating, lol, but that scene is the funniest in the movie. And there is of course the ending. That sweet beautiful ending which has been praised by almost everybody. I won't go into details, but the ones who have seen it know what I am talking about.

This is listed at the AFI's 100 list at 11, and at the top of their romantic comedy top 10, and I can see why now. It is a wonderful film, it sure is. It is beautfiful, and shows clearly why Chaplin is a legend.

This is a must see, I highly recommend it, especially for fans of Chaplin. I give it a perfect score.