50 years ago: City Lights, Charlie Chaplin's last silent film, released

City Lights Released: January 30, 1931 Studio: United Artists Genre: silent/comedy/romance Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 5.0 Worldwide: -- Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Charles Chaplin Screenwriting: Charles Chaplin Starring: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee Review: Four years after “the talkie revolution” PD Charlie Chaplin, “cinema’s greatest clown,” PD “stuck to what made him the world’s biggest star: keeping his mouth shut.” PD For his final silent film, he was able to incorporate “the occasional comic use of sound” T95 though the use of sound effects. “In the opening sequence, the urban misfit (his quintessential ‘Little Tramp’ character) parodies ‘talking’ films.” FS “The movie’s enormous success demonstrated that he was still a beloved star.” MSN “The silent comedian had spent years finding the right mix of silliness and sentimentality, and the combination was never more sublime than in this romantic pearl of a film,” VY Chaplin’s “magnum opus.” PD It was “eloquent, moving, and funny” LM and “critically acclaimed for its blend of sentimental drama, pathos, melancholy romance, slapstick, and comic pantomime.” FS Chaplin demonstrated “supreme delicacy in conveying all shades of human feeling.” T95 This was “ultimately his personal favorite of his many masterworks, it was his baby and he took an unusually long time to piece it together.” PD To get the moment just right when the Little Tramp meets a blind flower girl (Cherrill), Chaplin shot the scene 342 times. VY He even composed the movie’s score – a first for him – “adding that to his other credits: actor, writer, director, producer, editor and to quote W.C. Fields “the greatest ballet dancer who ever lived.” PD The flower girl falls for the Little Tramp. Unable to see his tattered suit, she mistakenly believes he is a millionaire. He “befriends a rich drunk…to illegally get the money the girl needs for an eye operation.” VD “Renowned, influential film critic James Agee called the film’s final scene ‘the greatest single piece of acting ever committed to celluloid.’” PD “The film’s final shot is unforgettably poignant;” FS “Many firmly regard…[it] as the best ending in movie history.” PD Sources: FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” LM Leonard Maltin “100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century” MSN MSN Entertainment (7/19/2018). “100 Best Movies” by Shahnaz Mahmud PD Parade.com (5/22/2023). “…We Ranked the 100 Best Movies of All Time!” by Samuel R. Murrian T95 Time Out (1995). “Centenary Top One Hundred Films” VY Variety.com (12/21/2022). “The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 0 Nominations: 0 Lists: Experts’ Picks: Genre Lists: First posted 6/9/2023.

50 years ago: The General, arguably the greatest screen comedy ever made, released

The General

The General Released: December 31, 1926 Studio: United Artists Genre: action/adventure, comedy Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: ? Worldwide: 1.00 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: ? Worldwide: ?

Directing: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton Screenwriting: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman Starring: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender Review: Not only is The General “considered Buster Keaton’s greatest film, it is also widely recognized as one of the true masterpieces of American cinema.” FS It may be “the finest silent comedy of them all” T98 “and arguably the greatest screen comedy ever made.” T95 “The visually-stunning silent film” FS has “ everything one could wish for: witty, dramatic, visually stunning, full of subtle, delightful human insights, and constantly hilarious.” T95 It features “non-stop physical comedy and sight gags, shot almost entirely aboard moving trains.” FS It “flopped, critically and financially, when it was released. This resulted in Buster Keaton losing his independence as a filmmaker and the signing of a restrictive deal with MGM.” MSN “The two things devoted Confederate engineer Johnny Gray (Keaton) loves most in the world are his Southern belle sweetheart (Mack) and his beloved locomotive named The General.” FS The humor begins when Keaton tries to get his train back after it is stolen by Union soldiers during the Civil War. “Keaton created this great comedy out of an authentic episode of American history…though in real-life the locomotive was stolen by the Confederates.” FS What Keaton “doesn’t know is that his girlfriend Annabelle is aboard.” A07 “He hijacks another locomotive, pursues them, and single-handedly takes on the entire Union army in order to rescue both of his loves.” FS “Filmed against a backdrop of magnificently photographed Civil War battle scenes” FS “Keaton saves the day” A07 in “one of the great chases in movie history.” FS It features “one of the silent era’s most iconic images, Keaton seated on the moving wheels of The General.” A07 “Keaton amazingly did his own stunts.” VD Sources: A07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” MSN MSN Entertainment (7/19/2018). “100 Best Movies” by Shahnaz Mahmud T95 Time Out (1995). “Centenary Top One Hundred Films” T98 Time Out (1998). “Readers’ Top 100 Films” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 0 Nominations: 0 Other Lists/Honors: Critics’ Picks: Roger Ebert Leonard Maltin First posted 6/4/2023.