City Lights (1931)

The Tramp struggles to help a blind flower girl he has fallen in love with.

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee

Top 250 #39 | 2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Virginia Cherrill	...	A Blind Girl
Florence Lee	...	Her Grandmother
Harry Myers	...	An Eccentric Millionaire
Al Ernest Garcia	...	His Butler (as Allan Garcia)
Hank Mann	...	A Prizefighter
Charles Chaplin	...	A Tramp (as Charlie Chaplin)

Storyline

A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind girl. Her family is in financial trouble. The tramp's on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.

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Plot Keywords:

Tramp | Operation | Flower | Little Tramp | Love | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 March 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

City Lights: A Comedy Romance in Pantomime

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Silent Mono (musical score)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #11 Greatest Movie of All Time.

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Goofs

When saving the man's life, and trying to climb out of the water, the position of the Tramp's hat is inconsistent.

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Quotes

The Tramp: Be careful how you're driving.
Eccentric Millionaire: Am I driving?

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Connections

Referenced in The Dreamers (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Promenade"
(1931) (uncredited)
Music by Charles Chaplin

User Reviews

Amusing comedy sets up SPECTACULAR ending

This is my favorite Chaplin film, but I don't want that to diminish his other work, either. MODERN TIMES was an outstanding work of social satire, THE GOLD RUSH was great slapstick, and even the largely-neglected MONSIEUR VERDOUX strikes a certain unforgettable tone. Chaplin didn't make a bad movie, and I'm not even sure that CL is his best, exactly. But it IS my favorite, if only for the ending.

That ending has been the subject of much comment here. I think it's a masterpiece in a single scene. Chaplin's little tramp has never seemed less like a character and more like a living, breathing human being. It's a monument to understated sentimentality.

To me, the rest of the film exists largely to set the context for that one magnificent piece of celluloid. Yes, the boxing scene is great, and the scene where he rescues the millionaire is also wonderful, but it's that ending that makes us all love this movie.