City Lights (1931)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  9 / 10

  City Lights is sure to brighten up your day. Having not much experience with silent films, this is admittedly my first venture into Chaplin's filmography. A renowned master and auteur during the 20's and 30's. Suffice to say after just one film, I can whole heartedly state that the man was a comedic genius. This puts all modern comedies to shame. I laughed more watching this classic than I have done all year, and that in itself proves that this 1931 silent masterpiece has stood the test of time. A tramp encounters an enigmatic blind woman who he tries to impress. In doing so, he befriends a turbulent alcoholic millionaire and starts to utilise his wealth to win her over. It's easy to dismiss Chaplin's films as slapstick humour. An array of silly sketches stringed together to evoke laughter. This dismissal is unjustified. There is a reason why City Lights is regarded as one of the best of all time, because it makes you experience a variety of emotions. The romance between the tramp and the woman is sweet and tender. The commentary on alcoholism, although not as thematically powerful as one would've hoped for, makes for adequate drama. The misfortunes of the tramp, particularly the swallowing of the whistle and well-choreographed boxing match, create the expected humour. Then the touching final scene adds a sprinkle of melodrama to surmise the story in two minutes. It's a tale about kindness. Being a gentleman no matter how small or large your bank account is. Aside from the overlong boxing match preparation scene, which should've been shortened to keep the pace up, I found no faults. The amount of personality seeping through the screen from the characters was astonishing. Nearly every scene felt fresh, introducing new and innovative gags to maintain the hilarity. The exaggerated acting assisted in producing chemistry between the characters. Briskly paced, consistently funny and just enough drama to retain viewer engagement. City Lights is (so far) the best silent film I have seen, and a true testament to the power of silence in an era where "talkies" were prevalent.

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