Looking Back Friday – City Lights
With the recent success of The Artist it seems only fair to take a look back at one of the all time classic silent films, Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, and its lasting legacy on cinema today.
In an era when sound was fast becoming the favoured method of Hollywood directors, Chaplin took a calculated risk with City Lights, deciding to persevere with another silent comedy despite the overwhelming public demand for ‘talkies’. It had been three years since the success of The Circus and I am sure that no-one expected Chaplin’s next film to better every film he had directed previously to become what is arguably his finest work. It pains me to think that this film was not even considered for an Oscar nomination when looking at the films that won awards in 1931, but such is the way with awards ceremonies that truly great films are often overlooked. Even though it had no recognition from the Academy, the fact that it was one of Chaplin’s first films to be released on Blu-ray speaks volumes (which is no mean feat for a silent film) and indicates that it is universally adored by fans of Chaplin’s most successful persona, the tramp.
When City Lights begins, the all encompassing tagline ‘A comedy romance in pantomime’ clearly states Chaplin’s intentions and sums up the films mood impeccably well. These days, the genre of romantic comedy conjures up images of dreadful Matthew Mcconaughey movies overwrought with cliches and completely lacking in plot but back back in the golden era of cinema, the combination of romance and comedy often led to critical and commercial success for all parties involved. These were more innocent times when on screen romances were hinted at but rarely shown in much detail, and a single gesture or reaction was capable of portraying so much more than a hackneyed line of dialogue or an all too revealing promiscuous scene.
The simplistic but wonderfully realised story begins when a tramp is mistaken for a wealthy man by a beautiful blind flower girl. He struggles to help her raise money for an operation that could restore her eyesight and ends up falling for her in the process, all the time continuing to establish her preconception that he is a millionaire. She is completely oblivious that her potential benefactor is a tramp and also falls in love with him, longing for the day that she will be able to set her eyes upon him in one of the most heartfelt and touching romances ever to grace the silver screen.
Visual comedy is timeless and it is thanks to Chaplin’s inherent comic genius that City Lights remains as hilarious today as it must have been on its initial release over eighty years ago, if not even more so. There are so many hilarious scenes that it is a genuine struggle to pick a favourite, although I don’t think it gets much better than when the Tramp mistakes a person’s bald head for a plate of food. Yes it sounds ridiculous, as is often the case with Chaplin’s films, but his incredible ability as a slapstick actor enables him to find humour in the most unexpected places. Take for instance his scene in the boxing ring; the first time I watched the Tramp’s attempt at boxing I was in stitches, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. The scene features such wonderful choreography and inspired humour but more importantly it remains relative to the story, and the whole film has a seamless feeling to it which indicates that the comedy was created around the story rather than creating humorous scenes and joining them together to make a script. This my friends, is the work of a comedy genius.
So much has been written about the film’s finale that it feels right to use the cliche ‘nothing can be said which hasn’t been said before’. For the benefit of those who have not seen City Lights I will avoid discussing it in any depth, but my God what an iconic and memorable ending. When a film is full of humour we grow to love the characters so much more that when a dramatic event unfolds we become completely absorbed in their successes or failures, and I challenge anyone not to be moved by the ending of City Lights.
Those new to the world of black and white films and raring to explore the classics will be blown away by how incredibly gifted Chaplin was in his heyday and those who would rather stick to films with colour and sound should step outside their comfort zone and take a risk on what is one of my all time favourite films. The Artist has shown that people are willing to take a chance on silent films and I just hope that this leads to a resurgence in the popularity of some of the all time classics that can easily compete with the best of today’s cinema.
About The Author – Tom Bielby
Long time film fan and aspiring film writer, Tom is a horror fanatic who wasted far too much time at University sitting through every film in the IMDB Top 250. He is partial to foreign films and cult cinema and would love to rid the world of people who rustle their popcorn during important scenes. He can be found on Twitter under the alias @filmbantha
Do the silent classics leave you as speechless as the stars who featured in them or do you prefer your films with added noise? Let me know your thoughts below…
Tom Bielby
I think that a quality film is a quality film, no matter the format.
As someone told me recently, cinema is a universal means of reaching across the masses, no matter where they are or their station in life. No truer is this sentiment experienced when one catches a silent film.
Some fine words there!
I completely agree with your point I just think it’s a shame when people refuse to broaden their horizons. Hopefully our looking back features will inspire others to check out some of the classics, regardless of their format.
it’s always been my favourite of all Chaplin’s films!
Glad it’s one of your favourites too Dez, I think it showcases everything that’s great about his work and is a perfect starting point for those new to Chaplin
Lovely review! I actually decided I need to watch few silent movies soon, I loved The Artist so much and the way the actors play their parts in silent movies is so exquisite and imaginative.
Thanks for your comment Sati, it’s good to hear that watching The Artist has inspired you to watch more silent movies, City Lights is an essential film and I would also recommend that you take a look at Sunrise, Safety Last and Metropolis if you get the chance and haven’t already seen them.
Great choice in light of the recent Best Picture win, Tom. I wonder if this silent movie thing will become a trend again. Of course it takes certain talents to do it well.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a few films that try to emulate the success of The Artist, if done right it’s clear that silent films can still hold sway over a modern audience.
One of my secret hopes after the success of The Artist is that people will re-visit Mel Brooks’ Silent Movie, which I thought was one of his best. He lovingly spoofs the silent medium while staying sort of true to it. And it’s classic Mel Brooks.
As for City Lights and Chaplin, you can never ever go wrong with Chaplin.
Thanks for the comment John I’ve never actually seen Silent Movie so will make sure I look into that.
You’re spot on with that phrase, you can never ever go wrong with Chaplin!
Excellent choice, Tom! City Lights was the first Chaplin movie I ever saw, and I was blown away. It really is the perfect blend of comedy, romance and drama. Great writeup — hopefully it will inspire others to see this classic.
Same here Eric, City Lights was the first Chaplin film I ever saw and it made me very eager to seek out his other classic films. Thanks for your kind words.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this film! That ending…oh, I get tears in my eyes whenever I think of it!
Me too Stevee! I have to admit that I struggle to hold back the tears at the end.
I tried to watch this on Hulu Plus two weeks ago. I was sick, so I didn’t really get to see too much of it. I’ve wanted to revisit it so I think I’ll try again.
If you haven’t seen it all the way through before Max make sure you give it a watch. It is an excellent silent film, one of the best ever made and deserves to be seen in its entirety.
This is such a wonderful film, it truly surprised me when I watched it. Charlie Chaplin was such a genius and I am glad the Academy at least tried to fix their mistake with City Lights by giving him a lifetime achievement award a few years later in one of the unforgettable moments in the history of the ceremony.
Niels
Thanks for your comment niels, it’s so good that Chaplin is universally acknowledged as an incredible film-maker just a shame it took some time for his recognition.
This has fond memories for me. Saw it as part of my Silent film module at Uni. Beautiful characterisation. I love how Chaplin could convey heartbreak with such hilarity. One of the only films that makes me want to laugh and cry simultaneously.
It has fond memories for me as well Ronan, I think it was Chaplin that first convinced me that silent films can easily hold up with the best of today’s classics. City Lights opened the door to a world of silent movies for me.