‘City Lights’ is a 1931 romantic comedy written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. 

Chaplin had created his character the Little Tramp in 1914, and by the end of the 1920s he was famous the world over. With his neat toothbrush moustache, curly black hair, bushy eyebrows and awkward waddle, the Tramp was instantly recognisable. His bowler hat and cane, wing collar and waistcoat suggested that he had once been a man of distinction. But now his clothes were tatty, he was homeless and friendless, and all he had to sustain him were his resilience, sharp wits and good humour.

As the opening title card of Chaplin’s 1921 film ‘The Kid’ announced, audiences could expect:

'A picture with a smile - and perhaps, a tear.'

Chaplin started developing the script for ‘City Lights’ in 1928. Since the success of 1927’s ‘The Jazz Singer,’ Hollywood had been investing in ‘talkies,’ and he came under some pressure to make the Tramp speak for the first time. But Chaplin felt that the character’s charm resided in his silence. And so he determined to use just occasional sound effects and also, for the first time, he composed the score. 

Filming started in December 1928, but was not completed until September 1930. The unusually lengthy production was in part down to Chaplin’s fastidiousness. He constructed elaborate sets. He experimented with casting. He re-shot a critical opening scene 342 times. But he also suspended the shoot for substantial periods while he worried about the sound issue. 

'In the past my work had usually stimulated interest among producers. But now they were too preoccupied with the success of the talkies, and as time went on I began to feel outside of things; I guess I had been spoiled.'

‘City Lights’ is full of elegantly choreographed comic set-pieces. The Tramp narrowly escapes falling down a sidewalk elevator. He mistakes a party streamer for spaghetti. He replaces his foreman’s cheese with soap. And when he swallows a whistle, he inadvertently hails a taxi and attracts a pack of stray dogs. 

The movie is also graced with a compelling plot.

As he wanders the busy streets of downtown Los Angeles, the Tramp meets a beautiful blind Flower Seller (Virginia Cherrill – cast because she had very poor eyesight). He is beguiled by her sweet nature and walks away a man in love.

That evening the Tramp saves a drunken Millionaire (Harry Myers) who was intent on committing suicide since his wife has left him. The new friends go back to his mansion for drinks and then hit the town to celebrate. As dawn breaks, the Millionaire takes the Tramp home in his Rolls Royce.

The Tramp: Be careful how you're driving.
Millionaire: Am I driving?

From this point on the Tramp oscillates between pursuing his romance with the Flower Seller and enjoying adventures with the Millionaire. The two plot strands interact with each other, but the Flower Seller and Millionaire never meet.

When, later that same morning, the Tramp chances upon the Flower Seller on the street, he buys her whole basket of blooms with money borrowed from the Millionaire, and he drives her home in his friend’s Rolls. Naturally she assumes the Tramp is wealthy, but she is also quite taken with his charm and gallantry.

Sadly the girl is soon confined to her bed with a fever. She falls behind in the rent and is threatened with eviction. To help her out the Tramp takes a job as a street sweeper and gets himself a slot on a boxing bout for a $50 purse. 

In a classic scene the Tramp prepares for the contest with smelling salts, rabbits’ feet and horseshoes. He endeavours to persuade his opponent to fix the fight - to no avail - and takes to the ring in his bowler hat. Once the bout begins, he hides behind the referee and dances around the Prizefighter. He hugs his opponent, hugs the referee and hugs the corner post. He takes a running jump at the Prizefighter, rings the bell to end the round early and gets himself tied up in the bell rope. Eventually our hero is left sprawled on the canvas and counted out.

The Tramp is incredibly unfortunate and accident-prone. He can be both cowardly and foolhardy. But he is also resourceful, generous and good-natured. And, above all, he has a heart.

A running gag through ‘City Lights,’ and indeed one of the primary plot mechanics, is that the Millionaire only recognises the Tramp when he is drunk. When he wakes up each morning with a hangover, he swears he’s never seen his new friend before and has him ejected.

This resonated with me. I suspect we all have friends and colleagues who seek us out when they need something, or when they’re just looking for company. But the test of true friendship, and indeed fellowship at work, is whether you stick around through the tough times, when there’s nothing you can gain, no purpose to be served, no larks to be had.

At length the drunken Millionaire is persuaded to pay for an operation to cure the Flower Seller’s blindness. But the Tramp is mistakenly thought to have stolen the money and is put in prison.

When, months later, the Tramp is released, he can’t find the Flower Seller at her usual spot and so roams the streets, dishevelled and disconsolate.

In fact the Flower Seller, her sight restored, now runs her own successful shop and has been waiting in hope of one day meeting her benefactor again.

Then, by chance, the Tramp stoops to pick up a flower discarded in the gutter outside the Flower Seller’s shop. He turns and sees her, and breaks into a grin. Not knowing who he is, she is nonetheless amused.

‘I've made a conquest!’

In pity, she offers the Tramp a fresh flower and a coin. He makes to leave, but she insists. And then, when she presses the coin into his hand, she suddenly recognizes his touch. 

‘You?’

 The Tramp nods.

‘You can see now?’
‘Yes, I can see now.’

She continues to hold his hand. The Tramp smiles back. The End.

Despite being released well into the sound era, ‘City Lights’ was the highest-grossing film of 1931. Chaplin invited Albert Einstein to join him at the premier in LA. When the house lights came up, the scientist was in tears. 

Time for a festive break.
Have a restful Christmas. 
Next post will be on Thursday 6 January 2022.
See you on the other side, I hope.

'Maybe I'll sleep real late.
Maybe I'll lose some weight.
Maybe I'll clear my junk.
Maybe I'll just get drunk on apple wine.
Me, I'll be just fine and dandy.
Lord, it's like a hard candy Christmas.
I'm barely getting through tomorrow,
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down.’

Dolly Parton, ‘Hard Candy Christmas’ (C Hall)

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