This film screened 12th August 2018.
Screening as part of The Eyes of Orson Welles season August 11th to 29th. Click for details.
Although Welles and Chaplin may not immediately appear to have much in common, Welles often referred to City Lights as his favourite film (it was also a favourite of Kubrick and Tarkovsky), and was at one point supposed to direct Chaplin in 1947’s Monsieur Verdoux, for which he received a story credit.
Arguably the greatest of his silent films, City Lights sees Chaplin as the Tramp, who falls in love with a blind flower girl, and determines to help her better her situation. Funny, lyrical, and romantic, the film stands as testament to Chaplin’s gift for visual storytelling.