Discuss City Lights

Forget Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan (played by Rudolph Valentino) and Lady Diana Mayo (played by Agnes Ayres). The romance between a tramp (played by Charlie Chaplin) and a blind girl (played by Virginia Cherrill) are the most endearing ever in the history of silent movie romances. Will they live happily ever after? cupid

1 reply (on page 1 of 1)

Jump to last post

This film is the greatest ever made and the last scene the greatest ever in any movie. That moment of recognition is one of absolute transcendence and absolute love that really begs the question of "living happily ever after" for it is a moment of eternal and infinite enlightenment that needs nothing more. Chaplin has created here (see various documentaries such as The Unknown Chaplin to see how painstaking a process this was) an almost perfect artistic expression that love is NOT blind but is rather its cure, and the cure for everything else that is the darkness wrought from ignorance. What Michelangelo attempted in the Sistine Chapel or Kubrick at the end of 2001, Chaplin somehow goes a step further and reaches that final point which seems so unreachable. That love which is so pure that it strips everything else away and makes all other thoughts, makes ANY thoughts, superfluous. I've watched City Lights countless times and never, especially in that final moment, does it lose any of its power. As such, and in so doing, Chaplin attains a further and even greater miracle, taking that transcendent point in the film and transferring it, making it REAL, to those in his audience. The creation of a story of love that transforms all becomes the most precious gift that can transform us ALL. No amount of scripture or mysticism or philosophy can ever do more than that.

Can't find a movie or TV show? Login to create it.

Global

s focus the search bar
p open profile menu
esc close an open window
? open keyboard shortcut window

On media pages

b go back (or to parent when applicable)
e go to edit page

On TV season pages

(right arrow) go to next season
(left arrow) go to previous season

On TV episode pages

(right arrow) go to next episode
(left arrow) go to previous episode

On all image pages

a open add image window

On all edit pages

t open translation selector
ctrl+ s submit form

On discussion pages

n create new discussion
w toggle watching status
p toggle public/private
c toggle close/open
a open activity
r reply to discussion
l go to last reply
ctrl+ enter submit your message
(right arrow) next page
(left arrow) previous page

Settings

Want to rate or add this item to a list?

Login