City Lights

Locations
Call Number: DVD Silent-Film City
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 1st Floor 1-week checkout	DVD Silent-Film City	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 1st Floor 1-week checkout	DVD Silent-Film City	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Silent-Film City	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Silent-Film City	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Silent-Film City	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Silent-Film City	1-week checkout	Due 04-15-2024

"A comedy romance in pantomime"--title frames.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1931.
Special features: Commentary (by Charlie Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance); Chaplin today: "City lights" (a 2003 documentary on the film, featuring Aardman animations cofounder Peter Lord ; 27 min.); Chaplin Studios: creative freedom by design (a new interview program featuring visual effects expert Craig Barron); From the set of City lights: The tramp meets the flower girl, Stick stuck in the grate, Window-shopping rehearsal, The duke (archival footage from the production of City lights, including film from the set, with audio commentary by Chaplin historian Hooman Mehran; a costume test; a rehearsal; and a complete scene not used in the film); Chaplin the boxer: The champion (excerpt from Chaplin's short film The champion (1915), Boxing stars visit the studio (footage of the director with boxing stars at Chaplin Studios in 1918); Trailers. Booklet featuring an essay by critic Gary Giddins and a 1966 interview with Chaplin.
Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers, Allan Garcia, Hank Mann.
The most cherished film by Charlie Chaplin is also his ultimate Little Tramp chronicle. The writer-director-star achieved new levels of grace, in both physical comedy and dramatic poignancy, with this silent tale of a lovable vagrant falling for a young blind woman who sells flowers on the street and mistakes him for a millionaire. Though this Depression-era smash was made after the advent of sound, Chaplin remained steadfast in his love for the expressive beauty of the pre-talkie form.
DVD: NTSC, region 1, widescreen (1.19:1) presentation, mono.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Classic Charming Chaplin submitted by Meginator on June 17, 2023, 11:43pm This classic silent comedy features Charlie Chaplin in his most famous guise as his well-meaning, but deeply unlucky, Tramp falls in love with a blind flower peddler. The love story provides a consistent narrative throughline, with the Tramp’s other adventures acting in service to his romantic pursuits (although they often upstage it) and culminating in a series of grand gestures and an unforgettable finale moment that is surprisingly emotional for a film that relies so heavily on slapstick humor. Despite its genuinely touching emotional notes, this is still a film that relies on elaborate gags and visual humor, and Chaplin’s absolute mastery of the form is on full display; he commits fully to each bit of physical comedy and his incredible exaggerated expressiveness effectively takes the place of conventional dialogue. As a sighted viewer, I was surprised by the film’s respect for the blind character, with relatively little of the humor coming at her expense, although the entire plot does hinge on her inability to recognize that Chaplin’s character is merely a poor man and not the rich benefactor he seems (to her) to be. Altogether, this is a classic of the silent era that remains funny and entertaining today due to Chaplin’s extraordinary sense for physical comedy and complete commitment to the stunts and story.