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City Lights (1931)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Release Date:
6 February 1931 (USA)
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Plot:
The Tramp struggles to help a blind flower girl he has fallen in love with. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Tramp
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Love
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Little Tramp
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Benefactor
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Operation
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Awards:
1 win
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NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
A-z Movie Reviews – C’s
(From HeyUGuys. 4 November 2009, 5:00 AM, PST)
San Jose Theatre Presents 'Another Night Before Christmas' Nov. 19 - Dec. 20
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 25 October 2009, 11:35 AM, PDT)
(From HeyUGuys. 4 November 2009, 5:00 AM, PST)
San Jose Theatre Presents 'Another Night Before Christmas' Nov. 19 - Dec. 20
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 25 October 2009, 11:35 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Amusing comedy sets up SPECTACULAR ending
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Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Virginia Cherrill | ... | A Blind Girl | |
| Florence Lee | ... | The Blind Girl's Grandmother | |
| Harry Myers | ... | An Eccentric Millionaire | |
| Al Ernest Garcia | ... | The Eccentric Millionaire's Butler (as Allan Garcia) | |
| Hank Mann | ... | A Prizefighter | |
| Charles Chaplin | ... | A Tramp (as Charlie Chaplin) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
City Lights: A Comedy Romance in Pantomime (USA) (copyright title)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
83 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1 more
Certification:
France:U |
Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating) |
Spain:T |
West Germany:12 (1951) |
Germany:6 (re-rating: 1997) |
USA:G (1972) |
USA:Passed (National Board of Review) |
South Korea:All |
Argentina:Atp |
Australia:G |
Chile:TE |
Denmark:A (2003) |
Norway:7 |
Sweden:Btl |
UK:U
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Charles Chaplin's first film made during the sound era. He faced extreme pressure to make the film as a talkie, but such was his popularity and power in Hollywood that he was able to complete and release the film as a silent (albeit with recorded music) at a time when the rest of the American motion picture industry had converted to sound.
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Goofs:
Continuity: 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:
Movie Connections:
Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers (2006) (TV)
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FAQ
List: Wacky boxingIs this movie based on a novel?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
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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.