City Lights

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1:14

City Lights

G

1931

1h 27m

Romance

Comedy

Drama

Crime

History

Musical

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Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

95%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

A hapless but resilient tramp (Charlie Chaplin) falls in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) on the tough city streets. Upon learning that she and her grandmother are to be evicted from their home, the tramp undertakes a series of attempts to provide them with the money they need, all of which end in humiliating failure. But after a drunken millionaire (Harry Myers) lavishly rewards him for saving his life, the tramp can change the flower girl's life forever.

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Critics Consensus

One of the best underdog romance movies ever, with an ending that will light up any heart.

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

06/27/2018

A+

Chaplin and his cast have crafted a silent film that is drastically funny, extremely well-shot and still holds up today...this is a labor of love, for sure, but the end result is a classic that has held the test of time.

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Irene Thirer

New York Daily News

01/29/2016

4/4

"City Lights" is excruciatingly funny and terribly, terribly sad. It makes you chuckle hysterically. You have the greatest time imaginable, and yet, occasionally you find little hurty lumps in your throat.

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Scott Tobias

The Dissolve

11/19/2013

5/5

There's dignity and folly to The Tramp in City Lights, and everything in between.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Mar 14

4/4

The film is one superb vignette after another.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

02/21/2023

... it borders on maudlin at times, but the rest mixes heartbreak and hardship with slapstick and spirited gags, all with the grace we’ve come to expect of cinema’s silent comic poet.

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Zita Short

InSession Film

02/02/2023

That famous final scene didn’t leave me crying my eyes out because the two main characters were thinly drawn archetypes and their bond did not seem to mean anything

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Marce S

@RT24248553 Sep 13

When it comes to Chaplins romance and balancing between comedy and tragedy, no other film hits as hard as this one.

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Hao Ian L

@HaOiAn Sep 9

There's no denying the groundwork laid here for the comedy genre as a whole, and that is no easy feat, making it Chaplin's well-deserved crowning achievement at the time. Yet, the very same comedic effect does seem to feel very dated in its years, mostly in its slapstick and over-the-top approach that did not age all that well.

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Julio B

Jul 13

The greatest romantic comedy ever made!

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Stephen C

@bob25009 06/10/2025

Funny in 1 hour and 27 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring Charlie Chaplin as Little Tramp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $18,200.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Alexsander F

@Aelxs 04/25/2025

The film is beautiful and so simple.

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Byron H

@HalloweenII 11/27/2024

4/4 Thee romantic comedy that's also one of the ten best American Films of all time. It quite possibly has the greatest ending to any movie in history.

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Charlie Chaplin

Director

Charlie Chaplin

A Tramp

Virginia Cherrill

A blind girl

Harry Myers

An eccentic millionaire

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Al Ernest Garcia

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City Lights: Trailer 1

1:14

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Synopsis

A hapless but resilient tramp (Charlie Chaplin) falls in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) on the tough city streets. Upon learning that she and her grandmother are to be evicted from their home, the tramp undertakes a series of attempts to provide them with the money they need, all of which end in humiliating failure. But after a drunken millionaire (Harry Myers) lavishly rewards him for saving his life, the tramp can change the flower girl's life forever.

Director: Charlie Chaplin
Producer: Charlie Chaplin
Screenwriter: Charlie Chaplin
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Charles Chaplin Productions
Rating: G
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama, Crime, History, Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 30, 1931, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 14, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.2K
Runtime: 1h 27m
Aspect Ratio: 35mm