City Lights

City Lights (1931) is a silent comedy-romance written, directed and starring Charlie Chaplin — watch it online on iFILM. Chaplin released the film through his own Charles Chaplin Productions at a time when every other Hollywood studio had already converted to talkies. He didn't care. It was his call to make.

His Little Tramp spots a blind flower girl on a city street — Virginia Cherrill playing her with quiet warmth. She mistakes him for a wealthy gentleman, and he doesn't correct her. Instead he sets out to raise money for an operation that could restore her sight. Along the way he befriends an eccentric millionaire played by Harry Myers: drunk, the man treats the Tramp like his closest companion; sober, he doesn't recognise him at all. Chaplin milks the situation for pure slapstick and then, without warning, turns it into something genuinely moving.

The final scene of City Lights is studied in film schools to this day. It regularly appears in BFI and AFI all-time rankings. Stream City Lights (1931) on iFILM.