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City Lights

G Released Jan 30, 1931 1h 27m Comedy Drama Romance TRAILER for City Lights: Trailer 1 List
95% Tomatometer 61 Reviews 96% Audience Score 25,000+ Ratings
A hapless but resilient tramp (Charlie Chaplin) falls in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) on the tough city streets. Upon learning that she and her grandmother are to be evicted from their home, the tramp undertakes a series of attempts to provide them with the money they need, all of which end in humiliating failure. But after a drunken millionaire (Harry Myers) lavishly rewards him for saving his life, the tramp can change the flower girl's life forever. Read More Read Less
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City Lights

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Critics Consensus

One of the best underdog romance movies ever, with an ending that will light up any heart.

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Critics Reviews

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Chris Stuckmann ChrisStuckmann.com Chaplin and his cast have crafted a silent film that is drastically funny, extremely well-shot and still holds up today...this is a labor of love, for sure, but the end result is a classic that has held the test of time. Rated: A+ Jun 27, 2018 Full Review Irene Thirer New York Daily News "City Lights" is excruciatingly funny and terribly, terribly sad. It makes you chuckle hysterically. You have the greatest time imaginable, and yet, occasionally you find little hurty lumps in your throat. Rated: 4/4 Jan 29, 2016 Full Review Scott Tobias The Dissolve There's dignity and folly to The Tramp in City Lights, and everything in between. Rated: 5/5 Nov 19, 2013 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand ... it borders on maudlin at times, but the rest mixes heartbreak and hardship with slapstick and spirited gags, all with the grace we’ve come to expect of cinema’s silent comic poet. Feb 21, 2023 Full Review Zita Short InSession Film That famous final scene didn’t leave me crying my eyes out because the two main characters were thinly drawn archetypes and their bond did not seem to mean anything Feb 2, 2023 Full Review Carson Timar ButteredPopcorn Charlie Chaplin is a film auteur who's career boils down to two sides, that of comedy and that of personal statement. City Lights remains one of the strongest collaborations between the two. Rated: A Aug 28, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Art B What can you say? One of the best from one of the best. When a silent film can hold your attention and make you laugh almost a hundred years after release that's all you need to know. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/01/24 Full Review Nawt W The plot itself is not intricate, and almost just like in every comedy, it mostly serves to deliver Tramp to humorous set pieces. Even if you haven't seen it, chances are you've heard about the ending. It's considered one of the most perfect endings in cinema and one of the greatest scenes in Chaplin movies. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/07/24 Full Review Steve D Cute but unremarkable. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/24 Full Review Teddy B Charlie Chaplin's ultimately refined emotional and comedic masterpiece that proves just how absolutely loveable a character like the Tramp is. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/11/24 Full Review Alec B A thing of astonishing beauty. As great as so much of Chaplin's filmography is, I don't think he ever did anything as perfect as the final few minutes of this movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/14/23 Full Review Bruce J When we talk about 'old movies', we see even a silent movie can be better than anything produced today with modern technology. Funny, endearing, the final scene puts a lump in my throat 40 years after seeing it. In my opinion, a masterpiece. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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City Lights

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Movie Info

Synopsis A hapless but resilient tramp (Charlie Chaplin) falls in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) on the tough city streets. Upon learning that she and her grandmother are to be evicted from their home, the tramp undertakes a series of attempts to provide them with the money they need, all of which end in humiliating failure. But after a drunken millionaire (Harry Myers) lavishly rewards him for saving his life, the tramp can change the flower girl's life forever.
Director
Charlie Chaplin
Producer
Charlie Chaplin
Screenwriter
Charlie Chaplin
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Charles Chaplin Productions
Rating
G
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 30, 1931, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 14, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$18.2K
Runtime
1h 27m
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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