The Cinematheque

Albert Einstein is said to have cried with laughter at the world premiere of Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights in Los Angeles in 1931. Described by Chaplin himself as ​“a comedy romance in pantomime,” this winning mix of slapstick, sentiment, and social criticism has Chaplin’s beloved Little Tramp falling in love with a blind flower girl. When he discovers that her sight can be restored through expensive surgery, he goes to extraordinary lengths to raise the necessary money, including an hilariously ill-advised turn as a prizefighter. She, for her part, believes her unseen benefactor to be a handsome millionaire. A synchronized musical score and comic sound effects were Chaplin’s only concessions to the new sound era; the film has nary a word of spoken dialogue. James Agee called the famed final scene ​“the highest moment in the movies.” Orson Welles cited City Lights as his favourite film.