---DISCLOSURE: This is being written by someone who enjoys the movies and might consider it a hobby since I've been doing it for 50 years. I am now have a three at a time Netlfix membership. In the "old days" I averaged 30 movies a year when they were in first release but the VCR and then the DVD player opened the world of rentals for me so that I now average 100 movies a year. (I keep a book that I list the date seen with notes about the quality and entertainment value.) That will tell you my approximate age and experience so you can understand the perspective, but just to be clear for Gen X and younger they did have talkies when I first went to see a film at The Cinema, The Flicks, The Strand, The Big Screen in Cinerama, etc.

---THE MOVIE (viewed on DVD)---
Length: 87 minutes
Rating: (Mine) PG
Year: Released in 1931
Type: Silent movie aka A "Pantomime"

First, you should know that I'm not a big fan of old movies prior to the 60's, especially the silent era. Occasionally, I try one because I hear it's "one of the greatest" or I can't find anything else to throw in the DVD Player. This was a case of the latter.

My opinion and interest have changed a slight degree in very recent years. Perhaps it's age or an increasing capacity to appreciate entertainment coming from people who virtually had nothing to work with compared to today's productions. I've seen a couple of Buster Keaton's movies too, but you could count on one hand the number of pre-1940 movies to which I've given my time. City Lights was worth the time.

"City Lights" was Charlie Chaplin's last silent film and for decades has been considered by many to be one of his best. I recall as a young man, when Chaplin was still alive, hearing it mentioned whenever there would be a mention of Chaplin in the entertainment industry or newspapers because of his political views. Chaplin is again playing the character known as the Little Tramp, a role that he stakes sole claim to whenever The Little Tramp is mentioned to a film afficionado who knows all the eras (excluding Disney's mutt).

City Lights shows why Chaplin was a star in his time. It was because of his great talent for pantomime and slapstick as well as his dramatic scenes. His timing for some of the comedic sequences was impeccable, as was those of the supporting cast members, to make the most mundane action very humorous. Tough to do in our age of sophistication.

In this movie, described in the introduction as a pantomime (much better in this instance than saying "silent movie" in my estimation), he makes the acquaintance of a blind flower girl played by an attractive actress named Virginia Cherrill. She believes, because she can't see him and because of some coincidences, that the shabby tramp is a millionaire.

The Tramp attempts to raise enough money for the blind girl to have an eye operation. He does this by becoming friends with a wealthy man during one of his alcoholic blackout binges. Some of the humor comes from the reaction of the drunkard to The Tramp when he sobers up and has no memory of doing the town together nor giving any money to The Tramp.

So, the stage is set for the "suspenseful climax". Will the young poverty stricken girl get her operation? Will The Little Tramp go to jail for stealing from the drunkard? Will the girl and The Little Tramp have a future?

Guess you'll have to take a look to find out and be smiling throughout the viewing while waiting for the answers.




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12