City Lights

G

Released Jan 30, 1931

1h 27m

Comedy

Drama

Romance

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City Lights: Trailer 1

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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.

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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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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Steve D

Cute but unremarkable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

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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

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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

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Charlie Chaplin

Director

Charlie Chaplin

A Tramp

Virginia Cherrill

A blind girl

Harry Myers

An eccentic millionaire

Hank Mann

A prizefighter

Al Ernest Garcia

The eccentric millionaire's butler

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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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