Customer Reviews

City Lights - Chaplin Collection (Limited Edition Collector's Set)

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Though some here and in other circles have remarked that they believe "City Lights" is overrated and over-sentimental, I still believe that one cannot deny how moving and beautiful the film becomes as it draws toward its conclusion. "City Lights" remains my favorite Chaplin movie with "Modern Times" coming in at a close second. Chaplin plays his classic Tramp character who falls for a blind flower girl and wants to help her earn money for an operation to cure blindness. The boxing scene in which the scrawny Chaplin takes on a seasoned prize fighter is the major comic highlight of the film featuring gags that have been imitated and recycled by countless other comedies. The finale is nothing short of touching, beautiful, and brilliant and shows perfectly the full emotion that can be conveyed in a silent picture. This is one of the few films that still, time and time again, can bring tears to my eyes. "City Lights" is a masterpiece.

a must for any movie collection. the dvd version is clean and provides two audio options, the original mono and a rich version re-recorded in stereo in 1989 for Chaplin's centennial. the stereo score adds quite a bit to the mood of the film.

of interest as well, is a brief collection of annotation/changes by Chaplin to the original concept of the film.

the movie itself is a great tribute to Chaplin's genius. there is the wonderful story line with great humorous moments like the 'audio' joke in the beginning, the whirlwind dance scene, the boxing match, then it ends... well, the end is acted simply but precisely and is compelling in its ambiguity. absolutely one of the greatest cinematic ending of all time.

A few years after the advent of "talkies", Charlie Chaplin, with his 1931 film *City Lights*, provided the much-needed reminder that cinema remained (remains) a VISUAL medium. Two people yapping at each other while sitting on a divan was simply not going to cut the mustard, a fact that a visionary like Chaplin saw from the beginning. Right at the outset he makes fun of the incessant jabber that had sprung up in the movies after the discovery of sound synchronization. In a public square, a politico squawks incoherently while dedicating a new statue. He sounds, in fact, rather like the teacher on the Peanuts Gang cartoons: "bwah bwah bwah". Later in the scene, Chaplin's Little Tramp squawks too . . . and that's the only concession to "talking" in *City Lights*. After that, it's back to basics, meaning: gags, drunken gags, slapstick gags in a boxing ring, and of course the vaunted Chaplinesque sentimentality, laid on thick here via a poor blind girl who sells flowers for a living. It can be argued that the gags and their set-ups might not be quite as inspired (or funny) as the ones in his earlier films. Chaplin was in his early forties here, and it shows: he's less physically agile; he looks a bit tired, occasionally (though not during that famous boxing scene). Even so, there's an almost defiant tinge to the stunts and the humor, an "I'm still here!" attitude that seems to say that even if the repertoire is getting tired, no one can do it better than the film's director and star. For me, what pushes the movie from 4 Stars to 5 Stars is the devastating and ambiguous last sequence, which will hit you in the solar plexus so hard that tears will be forced from your eyes. Somehow the astonishing climax rises above the typically sentimental set-up and attains the pinnacle of artistic sublimity. James Agee opined that the finale constituted the "highest moment in the history of the movies". He may be right.

City Lights is one of the shining achievements in the history of the movies, and it's been among my personal favorites for many years. So I was disappointed, after purchasing the new Warner Home Video DVD, to discover that the print they used is slightly dark and fuzzy, markedly inferior to its stunning laserdisc predecessor of some ten years ago.

In the early '90's I bought the CBS/Fox laserdisc of CL, which was transferred from a nearly flawless print (from "Chaplin's personal archives", as stated in the notes, and probably from the same negative as the one that was re-released to theaters for Chaplin's centennial in 1989). This LD version is so clean, sharp and vivid it looks as though it could have been filmed last week. In the boxing scene, for example, you can actually pick out a number of mannequins that were used among the live actors in the audience, and you can clearly see the wire that carries Charlie across the ring when he leaps at his opponent. On the DVD, however, not only can you not see the wire, the audience seems little more than a dark, murky mass rather than individual figures. Granted, maybe our disbelief is more happily suspended if we don't see what's suspending Charlie, but we certainly don't deserve murky masses where they aren't supposed to be.

Beyond using a superior print, CBS/Fox also went to the trouble of window boxing the transfer for their laserdisc release. That is, in order to preserve the nearly square aspect ratio of the original film, black bars were placed on the left and right sides of the screen to compensate for showing the top and bottom of the picture - the vertical counterpart of letterboxing. The DVD isn't window boxed, and while it may not seem like that big of a deal, it does affect the film - not only aesthetically, but effectually, as in the scene where Charlie is admiring the nude sculpture in the shop window. Key to the scene is the sidewalk elevator, which provides the gag - but it barely clears the bottom of the TV screen in the DVD version (in fact, it may bleed out of frame on some monitors). It's well within the frame on the window boxed version, as it should be. Also, with the top and bottom of the picture chopped off, the compositions as they appear on the DVD look cramped and less atmospheric than in the full image of the laser release.

The liner notes on the DVD boast of an "All new digital transfer from Chaplin family vault picture and sound elements" - which sounds great, but why wasn't the best print extant used, as it was on the now long out-of-print laserdisc? This film is a bona fide masterpiece, and it should be shown in its absolute best possible form. Instead we've been given what amounts to a professionally printed copy of a poorly lit Polaroid of the Mona Lisa.

The scene that the previous reviewer mentions, the one in which Charlie first encounters the blind flower girl and she mistakes him for a rich man, is one of the great moments in film. It took Charlie months to get the scene right, and he agonized over how exactly to pull off the confusion in a silent movie, in a way that would be clear to his audience. The result is absolutely perfect. A great scene in a film full of fantastic scenes.Even if you've never considered watching a silent film or even black and white, I would be suprised if you weren't riveted to City Lights. Chaplin was one of the greatest filmmakers ever, and this is arguably his greatest work. Sometimes I feel like City Lights is as good as movies can get.

*SLIGHT SPOILERS BELOW*

Here Chaplin does what all great cinema (in my opinion, all great art) should do: he creates a self-sufficient world, a state of mind. In my opinion, his Tramp is the most sympathetic, truly human character ever realised on the screen. He is not poor because he is lazy, or because he wastes what he earns on useless pleasures: he is poor because he gives of himself far more than most of us would be willing to. At the same time, he is not a saint: he tries to maintain his status in class society, even when it is hopeless (for example, just before his final meeting with the blind girl). In other words, the Tramp is proud, opportunistic, irreverent, and yet gentlemanly, selfless, and endlessly suffering: it is so easy to relate to the Tramp, because in so many ways, we ARE the Tramp.
Often this is simply refered to as a comedy, and I think that is a dreadful mis-labelling. This is fundamentally a drama, with what comedy there is serving to cushion the force of the drama, and make it bearable. To summarize the plot, if you do not know it already, the Tramp meets and falls in love with a blind girl, who through a coincidence, thinks he is wealthy. He also saves a drunken millionaire from suicide, and despite his gratefulness, immediately forgets all about the Tramp whenever he is sober. The blind girl and her grandmother will be evicted unless they can come up with money quickly; the Tramp promises to give her the money, despite his own poverty. He then sets out to earn it any way he can, no matter how undignified, and fails. Ultimately he runs into the millionaire again, who lets him take as much money as he needs; the millionaire comes to and thinks he has been robbed. The Tramp gives the blind girl the money and says goodbye, knowing he will go to jail for what he did not do. Coming out of jail in an even more impoverished, and this time dejected state, he runs into the blind girl, who can see now, thanks to the money the Tramp provided for an operation. She does not recognize her benefactor, and makes fun of him, until she touches his hand. What happens next cannot be described in words. All I can say is that, wonderful as all the movie is, this scene is the most singularly poingant, sublime moment in all of cinema. Everything comes together (the acting, the music, even the slight breeze passing through the blind girl's hair and the trafic passing by) to create a unified impression of time standing still. I find it hard to imagine that anyone could not be profoundly affected by this film.

City Lights is widely recognized as Charles Chaplin's masterwork, and for good reason. It epitomizes Chaplin's blend of pathos and slapstick, grounding his physical comedy in real human feelings, taking the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster.

Though the setup may be considered overtly sentimental -- the Tramp's budding relationship with a blind flower girl -- the film's treatment of the relationship is heartfelt but never corny. Smart character details and interactions are the key: The scene where she mistakes a stray thread from his vest for a ball of twine, for example, or the beautifully orchestrated chain of events which leads to the incomparable ending, the greatest in the Chaplin canon. He never forgets the laughs as he takes you along, and it pays off handsomely in City Lights.

There are plenty of great gags in this film, my hands-down favourite being the centerpiece boxing match, an outrageous piece of slapstick with a great rhythm. Watch this after Raging Bull, for good measure. The botched suicide attempt by the drunk millionaire is also priceless.

Like the other releases in this series, the City Lights DVD is filled with extras, the best being an extended scene, edited out of the film, that features the Tramp locked in a battle of the wills against a wood shim lodged in a metal grille! The sequence features a hilarious turn by an actor playing a clothing-store employee exasperated by the Tramp's efforts. There's also remarkable screen-test footage of Georgia Hale, the luminous actress who had been in The Gold Rush, shot because Chaplin had been unsure of City Lights star Virginia Cherrill's abilities. Longtime fans of the film like myself probably can't see the point -- Cherrill's sweet face, expressive and disarming physical actions, and convincingly vacant eyes (according to the Chaplin biography, she was seriously nearsighted, a trait which had won her the role) were perfect for the role. Still, the shock to me was to see that Hale, when out of film makeup, looked very contemporary. It's amazing to see a Chaplin actress out of character like that.

A classic film in a package with all the trimmings. While this series has made some gaffes (the sound work on The Gold Rush, for example, and the Chaplin Revue disc actually mislabels the two discs!), it's obviously the work of people who are trying very hard to do justice to these films, and for the most part, they're succeeding in a way I haven't seen outside of the prestigious Criterion Collection. Congratulations and respect are in order.

A masterpiece, with some of the most hilarious sequences Chaplin ever filmed, interspersed with what was undoubtedly his most touching story (Roberto Benigni had to have had this film in mind when he wrote "Life is Beautiful") - a great film on the meaning of true love. The message is as fresh as if it were filmed yesterday, and the ending of this film is one of the best surprises Chaplin ever bestowed upon his viewers (normally his films had rather pessimistic or ambiguous finales). Virginia Cherrill is also touching and memorable as the blind girl who steals the little Tramp's heart. Not counting the ending, the best sequences in my opinion are the boxing sequence and the street cleaner vignette (his expression when he sees the circus coming into town is priceless). I've seen this film close to 10 times since watching it for the first time 3 years ago and I've never gotten tired of its message - nice guys DON'T finish last. This is also a great film for a day when you've had it with the general cruelty and apathy of people (I would have thought Depression era audiences would have flocked to it, but unfortunately such was not the case). Well worth the buy.

I had never seen a Chaplin film in full, nor ever heard of "City Lights", however I had seen the bio-pic "Chaplin" with Robert Downey Jr., and was aware that Chaplin was considered a genius. so one morning when I stumbled across "City Lights" while channel surfing, I was very interested to watch the film and finally get to see some of Chaplin's work.

I found myself enjoying the movie much more than I anticipated, I got very absorbed in the story, and found myself actually laughing out loud. I could indeed see that this man was special.

As the film was coming to an end, I got closer to the television, and tears poured down my face. I cannot remember being so completely moved by a single scene in any film ever.
It really took a few minutes for me to come back to reality.

As soon as the film ended, I sat at the computer, and found out that City Lights is considered Chaplin's masterpiece - and that many people were as moved by the last scene as I was.
I consider myself very lucky to have chanced upon this movie, and am anxious to see more of his work. (and learn a bit more about him as well)

I hope to share this movie with more people, as I'm sure that there are many people of my generation who are as ignorant to this movie (and Chaplin) as I was (am).

This movie has moved to my top ten list - and the last scene - well, for me - it was the single most profound moment in film that I have ever seen.

Let me join the consensus and call Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights" a masterpiece. It's only 81 minutes long, but they are among the best 81 minutes you could spend at the movies, and the last five minutes are simply exquisite. Keep your Kleenex box at arm's length as I doubt if there has been a more honestly heartbreaking scene captured on film. When the formerly blind girl gives the Little Tramp a flower and ultimately says "Yes, I can see now", the scene takes on such emotional gravity as to defy explanation.

Chaplin was at his zenith in 1928 when he started a journey of more than two years to develop and film this story, and the Little Tramp had already been a familiar character to audiences for over a decade. He had already made the classics "The Gold Rush" (1925) and "The Circus" (1928) starring his character, so it's obvious he felt a need to take a slightly different direction and deepen the character this time. The advent of talkies didn't stop Chaplin from making this "Comedy Romance in Pantomime" (as he subtitled it), as he knew giving the Little Tramp a voice would limit his appeal as a universal character. What I particularly enjoyed in this film is how the Little Tramp fancies himself as a well-mannered gentleman in spite of all the circumstances that bring him down, even going to prison for love. It is this self-delusion and his subsequent mistaken identity as a millionaire that leads him to the blind flower girl, played in an effectively plaintive manner by Virginia Cherrill. Her performance is a greatly underrated element in this film, as she displays the right amount of vacant innocence to make the last minutes so memorable. Simply compare her to the screen test shown of Georgia Hale, Chaplin's leading lady in "The Gold Rush" and an obviously more experienced actress than Cherrill, as Hale struggles to show the right balance between condescension and beatific revelation when she realizes the Little Tramp is the "wealthy" gentleman who paid for the restoration of her sight.

Of course, this would not be a Chaplin film without the brilliance of his comedy routines and there is a treasure trove of classic scenes - the rising and lowering of the street elevator, the shifting musical chairs scene at the nightclub, the mock suicide at the canal and especially the boxing scene, which has been imitated by so many lesser filmmakers (and was according to the footage included as a DVD extra, inspired by an earlier Chaplin short "The Champion" from 1915). Even a simple moment, for example, when the Little Tramp mistakes a piece of thread from his vest for a ball of twine, is impressive for the sheer delicacy of the moment. And special mention needs to go to Chaplin's musical score, where he beautifully interweaves José Padilla's "La Violetta" as his love theme.

The transfer to DVD is very good, and the 2-DVD set has plenty of extras though they vary in quality. The Serge Bromberg documentary provides an informative supplement to the film, and the footage of Chaplin from a Vienna press tour is fascinating since it captures the long-forgotten worldwide frenzy he created back then. The aforementioned Georgia Hale screen test is a worthwile addition but runs on a bit too long. The 10-minute home movie of Chaplin's trip to Bali has a certain anthropological interest but seems rather pointless otherwise. Regardless, the movie itself is rewarding enough and an exquisite jewel that completely justifies Chaplin's reputation as one of the world's leading filmmakers.