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:

Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

tramp | operation | flower | little tramp | love | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

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

When the film opened on 31 January 1931, Albert Einstein joined Charles Chaplin at the theater. When the film opened in England, George Bernard Shaw joined him.

---

Goofs

When the Tramp takes the girl home, the birdcage outside the window is gone, but later reappears.

---

Quotes

The Tramp: Tomorrow the birds will sing.

---

Connections

Referenced in Claude Jutra, an Unfinished Story (2002)

---

Soundtracks

"La Violetera"
Composed by Jose Padilla

User Reviews

Chaplin's Classic of Humor and Humanity

Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights" contains a blend of humor and humanity that make it memorable for everyone who watches it. Although made very much in the old-fashioned silent film tradition, much of it is timeless, too.

After a few minutes of slapstick at the beginning, Charlie's "little tramp" character makes two acquaintances. He meets a blind girl selling flowers, who mistakes him for a rich man, and the two become very fond of each other. Then he meets a real millionaire, who is drunk, depressed, and about to commit suicide. In a comic scene, the tramp persuades the millionaire not to go through with it, making himself a devoted friend.

The tramp soon learns that there is an operation that could give the girl her sight, and tries to think of some way he could help. His scenes with the girl and her grandmother are moving, while his determination to help lead him into some comic escapades - his attempt to win money in a boxing match being particularly funny, and one of Chaplin's best comic pieces. Meanwhile, when his millionaire friend is drunk, he dotes on the tramp, but when sober he forgets who the tramp is, leading to more amusing scenes and occasional trouble for Charlie.

All of the comedy leads up to a finale that is one of the best-remembered scenes in any film. "City Lights" shows the power of the camera in the hands of a master, who without words can move his audience or make them laugh. Anyone who appreciates good cinema should see it at least once.