City Lights

Movie: City Lights, 1931; silent, black and white; 87 min

Director: Charlie Chaplin

Actors: Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill

Summary:

            A tramp falls in love with a beautiful, blind girl and he desires to help her gain her sight. The tramp develops an on-and-off friendship with a wealthy drunkard that allows him to give the blind girl enough money to help her out of financial trouble and for an eye surgery. The tramp realizes that once the girl gains her sight, she will discover that her suitor is not a wealthy man at all. Yet, in the end, the girl remembers the tramp and what he had done to help her.

In what ways does Chaplin incorporate sound effects into the film? Why?

            Though City Lights is a silent film accompanied with music, Chaplin incorporates sound effects in certain scenes in order to enhance the comedic effect of the scene. For example, when the tramp is hiccupping bubbles, the music score is stopped and the only sound is of the bubbles popping. These simple sounds, along with Chaplin’s facial expressions, give the scene a comedic substance. Without the added sound effects, the scene would be no different than the other comical scenes throughout the movie. Chaplin also incorporates sound effects into the scene where he is slurping spaghetti at a fancy restaurant. This sound effect is different because the main musical score is still playing along with the slurping sounds. This is because the slurping sound and specific scene is not as profound as the bubble scene, so therefore it is accompanied by the silent film music.

In what ways are body language and facial expressions important to the story?

            Facial expressions and body language are especially important to a silent film because there is no dialogue to tell the audience how the characters are feeling. Instead of saying they are disappointed, the actors must show it in their face and posture. Exaggerating expressions and postures is also essential in telling a story and developing a character. Charlie Chaplin uses the tramp’s distinct, turned-out walk to show what emotion his character is feeling. For example, after the tramp gets out of jail, he walks with his head down and his shoulders heavy. Then, when the beautiful girl recognizes the tramp, his face lights up as his eyes meet hers and there no longer seems to be that heavy weight of sorrow upon his shoulders. These simple expression and posture details give the audience an unspoken insight into what the tramp is feeling at that exact moment.