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IMDbPro

City Lights

  • 19311931
  • GG
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
183K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,341
135
Charles Chaplin in City Lights (1931)
ComedyDramaRomance
With the aid of a wealthy erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed tramp who has fallen in love with a sightless flower girl accumulates money to be able to help her medically.With the aid of a wealthy erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed tramp who has fallen in love with a sightless flower girl accumulates money to be able to help her medically.With the aid of a wealthy erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed tramp who has fallen in love with a sightless flower girl accumulates money to be able to help her medically.
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
183K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,341
135
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Charles Chaplin
    • Writers
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Harry Carr(uncredited)
      • Harry Crocker(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Virginia Cherrill
      • Florence Lee
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Charles Chaplin
    • Writers
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Harry Carr(uncredited)
      • Harry Crocker(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Virginia Cherrill
      • Florence Lee
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 336User reviews
    • 129Critic reviews
    • 99Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Top rated movie #52
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos85

    Charles Chaplin and Virginia Cherrill in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin, Tom Dempsey, Harry Myers, and Victor Alexander in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin and Albert Austin in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin, Austen Jewell, and Robert Parrish in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin and Virginia Cherrill in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin and Virginia Cherrill in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin in City Lights (1931)
    Charles Chaplin in City Lights (1931)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charles Chaplin
    Charles Chaplin
    • A Tramp
    • (as Charlie Chaplin)
    Virginia Cherrill
    Virginia Cherrill
    • A Blind Girl
    Florence Lee
    • The Blind Girl's Grandmother
    Harry Myers
    Harry Myers
    • An Eccentric Millionaire
    Al Ernest Garcia
    Al Ernest Garcia
    • The Millionaire's Butler
    • (as Allan Garcia)
    Hank Mann
    Hank Mann
    • A Prizefighter
    Johnny Aber
    • Newsboy
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Alexander
    • Boxing Match Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    T.S. Alexander
    • Doctor
    • (uncredited)
    Victor Alexander
    • Superstitious Boxer
    • (uncredited)
    Albert Austin
    Albert Austin
    • Street Sweeper
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Harry Ayers
    • Cop
    • (uncredited)
    Eddie Baker
    Eddie Baker
    • Boxing Fight Referee
    • (uncredited)
    Henry Bergman
    • Mayor
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Edward Biby
    Edward Biby
    • Nightclub Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Betty Blair
    • Woman at Center of Table in Restaurant
    • (uncredited)
    Buster Brodie
    Buster Brodie
    • Bald Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Jeanne Carpenter
    • Diner in Restaurant
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Charles Chaplin
    • Writers
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Harry Carr(uncredited)
      • Harry Crocker(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sir Charles Chaplin re-shot the scene in which the Little Tramp buys a flower from the blind flower-girl 342 times, as he could not find a satisfactory way of showing that she thought the mute tramp was wealthy.
    • Goofs
      (at around 39 mins) When the Tramp accidentally swallows the whistle, his real eyebrows are visible beneath his fake ones. This was done intentionally to give him a lopsided, intoxicated facial expression.
    • Quotes

      The Tramp: You can see now?

      A Blind Girl: Yes, I can see now.

    • Alternate versions
      About seven minutes of footage of Georgia Hale playing the flower girl exists and is included in the 2003 DVD release. The footage was shot during a brief period when the actress originally cast to play the character had been fired and replaced with Hale, but Charles Chaplin was forced to resume filming with the original actress due to the amount of film already shot.
    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Fatale beauté (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      Flower Girl Theme
      (uncredited)

      Music by José Padilla

    User reviews336

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    You can't go wrong with Charlie Chaplin, but City Lights is even better than Chaplin's films usually are.
    Chaplin takes himself a little more seriously in City Lights, and the results are spectacular. The musical score which Chaplin composed for the film was one of the many highlights, and even though Charlie's performance is much more dramatic than usual in some scenes, the hilarious comedy for which he is known and loved is still abundant.

    City Lights is so well made that it is one of the very few movies in which the obvious flaws can be gladly overlooked. Yes, you can clearly see the string holding Chaplin up in the sidesplittingly funny boxing scene, but who cares? That is such classic slapstick that little things like that really don't matter. Besides, let's keep in mind that this movie was made seventy years ago.

    Chaplin does a phenomenal job in his traditional role of the tramp, and develops a perfectly convincing romantic relationship with the blind flower girl on the sidewalk. His friendship with the drunken rich guy is hilarious, but it also makes a significant comment about the problems of alcohol. This is truly a great film, which should not be forgotten.
    helpful•100
    17
    • Anonymous_Maxine
    • Dec 22, 2000

    FAQ3

    • Is 'city Lights' based on a book?
    • Why is it called "City Lights"?
    • What titles feature wacky boxing?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 7, 1931 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Instagram
      • Official Site
    • Languages
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
      • City Lights: A Comedy Romance in Pantomime
    • Filming locations
      • Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Charles Chaplin Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $19,181
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,102
      • Jul 8, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $50,419
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 27 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.20 : 1

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