The story is about a tramp and a blind girl. After the girl mistakes the tramp for a millionaire, he falls for her. Without trying very hard, he befriends a drunk millionaire and finds himself making hard decisions like whether or not to take advantage of his new wealthy friend. He finds out the blind girl needs money, so he goes to work and earns a small income so he can help the girl. His love for her grows and as more opportunities to help her come along, he gives it his best shot. The heartwarming ending showed graceful acting and good writing.
City Lights is considered one of the highest marks of Charles Chaplin’s career. Not only did Chaplin write, direct, and star in this movie, he also composed the entire score for it. In fact, he was quite an accomplished composer, writing music for several of his films. Probably his most famous song is “Smile”, which he used at the end of his 1936 film Modern Times. “Smile” has been used in many other films and TV shows, including the first season of the popular TV show Glee.
I love Charles Chaplin movies. He had success with silent films in a world where “Talkies” were the new standard. I’ve only seen Limelight and City Lights, but both were worth my time. In each of these movies, the hero wasn’t a superhero, just a guy with a heart of gold.
