City Lights (1931) Movie Review

In the period between 1921, starting with The Kid, and 1940, ending with The Great Dictator, the legendary Charles Chaplin created a series of motion pictures, all but one silent, that are considered classics today. Among the finest, if not arguably the finest, was City Lights which came to the silver screen in 1931.

City Lights consists of two plot lines which are somewhat connected at the end. The first concerns the Little Tramp (Chaplin) and his "friendship" with a non-tee totaling millionaire (Harry Myers), who when he is drunk lavishes the Tramp with food, booze, and parties, and allows him to take his car. Unfortunately, when he is sober the millionaire does not recognize him at all. The second, which is actually the major plot, involves the Tramp's love for a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) who mistakenly believes that he is a man of wealth. After reading about a miracle cure for blindness, it becomes the Tramp's goal in life to earn enough money to send her to Europe for the needed operation. Along with these two stories, Chaplin also manages to get in a few jibes at politicians and the idle rich.

As is expected with Chaplin, the movie is filled with many creative and memorable comedy scenes. Among them: (1) The opening scene in which the Little Tramp manages to mess up a ceremony unveiling a new civic statue that eventually ends with him skewered on the statue's sword; (2) His introduction to the millionaire when the drunken Myers attempts to commit suicide by tying a rock around his neck and throwing himself into a river. Chaplin intervenes and almost drowns himself; and (3) The boxing scene where the Little Tramp hopes to secure money for the blind girl by entering the ring with a "boxer" who only wants to put up the pretense of a fight in order to split the prize money. At the last moment the "boxer" is replaced with a bruiser (Hank Mann) who wants all the money and at the same time inflict considerable pain on his opponent. When the Tramp realizes this, the fight becomes a matter of survival and the result is five or six minutes of beautifully choreographed mayhem.