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City Lights

Director: Charlie Chaplin
Year: 1931
Run-time: 1 hr 27 min
Source: Criterion Channel

Wikipedia

Roger Ebert's Analysis

Gary Giddins' Essay for The Criterion Collection

Notable for: It's Chaplin's most renowned film, being the best example of his "Tramp character" as well as his innovative intermixing of comedy and tearful drama.  It's also a deliberate throwback, a silent film made three years after the advent of sound, which Chaplin knew signaled the end of the art form that he had pioneered.  Nevertheless it became a box office smash, and a sign that moviegoers were looking for comfort and familiarity in the midst of the Depression.  Chaplin controlled every inch of this film, frequently firing (and re-hiring) his put-upon actors, shooting hundreds of takes of the shortest scenes, and manipulating every twist of his audience's emotional state.  In return, it's likely become one of the most analyzed films in history, with many different perspectives offered over the years.

Verdict: Watching through this list has if nothing else given me a greater appreciation for directors that I'd dismissed in the past, and Charlie Chaplin is the prime example of this.  I'd seen City Lights before, but only appreciate just how much care went into every scene.  Chaplin was the first great auteur.  He took a tremendous risk with this film, but even as he was resisting change, he was innovating as well.  With films, we want to be transported by a director's vision, but Chaplin, unlike many of his contemporaries, had respect that his audience could follow his designs with only the gentlest (but most carefully deliberate) pushes.  His craft is always a pleasure to watch.
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