city lights city lights american pre code silent romantic comedy film written directed starring story follows falls love blind girl develops turbulent friendship alcoholic millionaire sound films rise started developing script decided continue working silent productions filming started december ended september city lights marked time composed film score productions written weeks main theme blind flower girl song buy spanish composer lost lawsuit city lights immediately successful release january positive reviews box office receipts million today critics consider highest accomplishment career greatest films library congress selected city lights preservation culturally historically aesthetically significant american_film_institute years movies ranked city lights 11th greatest american film time critic referred final scene film greatest single piece acting committed plot officials city new statue find sleeping away streets homeless soon happens beautiful realizing blind buys flower change man gets nearby luxury car driven away making think departed away evening runs drunken millionaire attempting suicide waterfront later mentioned wife sent bags eventually convinces millionaire live takes mansion gives change clothes night town inadvertently causes havoc early morning return mansion encounter flower girl route spot asks millionaire money uses buy girl flowers drives home millionaire leaves flower girl tells grandmother wealthy acquaintance returns mansion millionaire remember butler order later day millionaire meets invites home lavish party morning having planning leave cruise millionaire tossed returning flower girl apartment spies attended doctor deciding job earn money street grandmother receives notice girl evicted pay rent day hides visits girl lunch break sees newspaper story doctor devised operation finds notice reads aloud girl request pay rent returns work late fired walking away boxer persuades stage fake fight promising split prize money bout man receives telegram warning police flees leaving nonsense replacement opponent despite effort knocked time later meets drunken millionaire returned europe millionaire takes mansion hears girl plight gives girl operation unbeknownst millionaire hiding house entered hearing cash knock millionaire rest money police flee arrive butler assumes stole money millionaire remember giving narrowly escapes gives money girl saying going away later arrested earlier jailed months later released searching girl returns customary street corner find sight restored girl opened flower shop grandmother rich customer comes shop girl briefly wonders mysterious leaves realizes wrong flower outside shop turns leave finds staring girl window despair turns flower seeing crushed flower retrieved girl offers fresh coin embarrassed tries shuffle away girl stops hands flower takes girl takes hold hand place coin recognizes touch hand realizes stranger says asking replies yes holds hand close chest girl film fades black cast blind girl butler credited uncredited mayor street nightclub scene cut film production pre production feature circus released film motion picture industry embraced sound recording brought silent movie era close producer distributor owner conceive city lights silent film technically film crossover soundtrack synchronized music sound effects sounds copied speech pattern films dialogue presented contacted inventor making sound film ended meeting dismissive told reporter years concerned adjust sound films early began writing script plot gradually grew initial concept considered success circus circus clown goes blind conceal handicap young daughter pretending inability inspired blind girl scenes thought ending newly cured blind girl sees time highly detailed description scene written considered center entire film subplot considered character lower social scale black eventually opted drunken millionaire character previously short idle class millionaire plot based old idea short pick city dump good time expensive clubs dropping dump know real dream rewritten millionaire friend drunk recognize sober officially began pre production film hired australian art director design sets summer eventually cast role millionaire film originally set paris art direction inspired mix cities said weird city confusing london los_angeles naples paris city earth cities august mother died age distraught weeks pre production resume mid fall psychologist city lights highly autobiographical blind girl representing mother drunken millionaire represents father compared film sets locations real childhood statue opening scene resembling church park road referring waterfront set interviewed actresses play blind flower girl unimpressed seeing film shoot bathing women beach found casual acquaintance asked chance work series poor auditions actresses eventually invited screen test actress subtly convincingly act blind camera near signed contract november principal photography filming city lights officially began december worked script entire year filmmaker known noted takes directors time production began scene flower stand meets blind flower girl scene took weeks shoot began second thoughts casting years later said liked charlie liked autobiography took responsibility set tensions blaming stress making film conflict filming scene continued february days early april scene aside filmed later shot opening scene waking newly unveiled public statue scene involved extras especially shoot shooting construction city los_angeles decided widen avenue forced buildings away road shot sequence meets millionaire prevents committing suicide filming suddenly decided want jump tank cold water scene causing storm set fire quickly replaced known contract finished shooting sequence july bridge shot sequence eventually cut film involving little attempting retrieve stick stuck wall scene included young later praised scene insisted needed cut continued filming scenes millionaire september november began working flower girl dramatic scenes waiting scenes months bored openly complained filming scene asked leave early hair appointment fired replaced star gold rush screen tests proved unsuitable role briefly considered sixteen year old actress talked idea collaborators finally hired finish city lights demanded got raise week approximately seven minutes test footage survives included dvd release excerpts seen documentary unknown unused opening sequence cast blind girl grandmother shot scenes lee weeks late shot flower shop scene time scene completed days happy performance shooting film year little half way finished march april shot scenes inside millionaire house hired known days working late spring shot major comedy sequence boxing match hired actor play opponent scene required extras took days shoot scene shot june initially nervous attendance scene invited friends extras extras present performance scene humorous people arrived daily extra july august finished weeks smaller scenes including scenes harassed played young september finished shooting final scene took days said happy performance scene eventually understood role talking directing style set stated dance think terms dance think city lights october december edited film created title cards completed film silent films generally unpopular city lights great financial artistic successes career personal favorite films especially fond final scene said city lights scene acting standing outside looking beautiful scene beautiful isn acted film picture time sign long production process shot feet film completed film ran feet shooting ratio feet film foot film final version music city lights marked time composed film score productions preferred films live sound 1930s theaters gotten rid critics claimed grab credit parents members family musicians struggling professional musicians hired took compose score written weeks included musical cues told reporter didn write wrote wish credit good job simple music know keeping character intention score translate characters emotions melodies score recorded days musical arranger main theme blind flower girl song buy spanish composer unable secure original song performer lead role song major theme lost lawsuit took place paris lived modern editions released video include new recording release reception legacy weeks prior premiere decided preview went poorly attracting small crowd better results seen gala premiere january wife guests honor film received standing ovation premiered george theater new_york closely supervised release spending day interviews previously spending advertising frustrated come demanded half total gross considering audiences attracted film technology demanded higher ticket prices compared nervous film reception time silent films obsolete preview undermined confidence city lights financially successful critically acclaimed works following good reception american audiences earnings million quarter came week run went sixteen date world tour february march starting premiere london february film enthusiastically received depression era audiences earning million initial release reviews positive film critic said reviewed comedies way reel days charlie given laughs new_york_times reviewer considered film worked admirable variety declared best picture certain sequences hilarious new wrote order films little better gave impression seldom found movies impression best described quality charm hand nation highly critical city lights silent format describing popularity endured film release positively received audiences critics critic wrote life magazine final scene greatest single piece acting committed called final scene greatest moments film history curator film stated film highly regarded brought forth new level lyrical appeared earlier works adds like based denial real world film premiered older midst round legal battles economic political climate world changed uses girl remind nature real world assaults multiple times critic said hollywood filmmakers embraced talking pictures resigned gave making movies held firm vision project noted hollywood silent film late date let reason knew adapted talking movies work known directors praised city lights said favorite film interview american magazine rated city lights fifth films renowned russian director placed city lights fifth said person gone cinematic history shadow doubt films left grow old called genius come movie industry celebrated italian director praised film nights refers documentary charlie life art charles said best picture allen said based final scene film manhattan final scene biographer summarized best criticism notable filmmakers singled city lights favorite film decades criterion collection audio commentary track film written praise afforded film added city lights holds distinction favorite films french experimental musician film critic written analysis city lights published film primary example essay letter arrive destination original suit film donated city lights released dual format blu ray dvd audio commentary track biographer scholar accolades sight sound magazine revealed results poll best films time city lights voted bicycle thieves ranked 45th critics list year directors polled separately ranked film 19th overall library congress selected city lights preservation culturally historically aesthetically significant american_film_institute tenth anniversary edition years movies ranked city lights 11th greatest american film time improvement position original list afi chose film best romantic comedy american cinema number afi list best heroes film ranked 38th funniest films 10th greatest love stories 33rd inspiring films
City Lights