Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

City Lights Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 26, 2013

Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights" (1931) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers; new and exclusive audio commentary by Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance; raw footage from the production of the film; documentary film directed by Serge Bromberg; new interview program featuring visual effects expert Craig Barron; and excerpts from Chaplin's short film "The Champion" (1915), along with footage of the director with boxing stars at Chaplin Studios. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Gary Giddins and a 1966 interview with Charlie Chaplin. Region-A "locked".

A true gentleman

Charlie Chaplin completed City Lights in 1931, four years after the first "talkie" had premiered. He gambled with it, but the film became an instant success, and to this day many consider it one of his greatest creations.

As it is the case with practically all of Chaplin’s films, in City Lights comedy and drama are closely intertwined. In it the Tramp makes two friends - one is an eccentric millionaire (Harry Myers) with a serious drinking problem who has decided to end his life, the other a poor blind girl (Virginia Cherrill) selling flowers to make ends meet. The Tramp profoundly changes their lives but they react to his goodness in two radically different ways.

The Tramp’s relationship with the flower girl is pure and beautiful, never overly sentimental. Every single scene where the two are seen together is incredibly moving, filled with grace. At any given moment one knows exactly how they feel about each other.

The Tramp’s relationship with the millionaire, though, is drastically different - it is grotesque and unfair, often times quite misleading. After the Tramp saves the millionaire’s life the two become friends, but their friendship ends each time the millionaire gets sober - and then resumes as soon as he hits the booze again.

The point Chaplin makes with these contrasting relationships is that because of their blindness the girl and the millionaire can see the Tramp as the person he is - a good man always willing to help others, not a social outsider doomed to failure. Naturally, these relationships are quite illuminating about the nature of the society the Tramp belongs to.

It took Chaplin more than two years to complete City Lights. He spent weeks working on a single scene, demanding perfection from himself and all around him. Somewhat surprisingly, before the film’s premiere Chaplin was extremely nervous, but the response from critics and audiences was overwhelmingly positive.

Chaplin selected Cherrill, a young and inexperienced Chicagoan, to play the flower girl after they reportedly met during a boxing match in Los Angeles. However, when shooting of City Lights began he was not impressed by Cherrill’s ability to portray a blind person, and at one point fired her, hoping to reshoot all of her scenes with Georgia Hale (The Gold Rush). Eventually, Chaplin rehired Cherrill, and shooting of City Lights resumed, but he never quite warmed up to her.

Despite the well documented tension between Chaplin and Cherrill, however, it is hard to imagine that the final scene in City Lights, where the Tramp meets the flower girl again and she realizes that he is indeed her benefactor, could have turned out any better. It is a beautiful, magical scene, one of the greatest ever filmed.

Notes:

Chaplin wrote, directed and produced City Lights. He also composed the music score for the film.

City Lights is subtitled as “A Comedy Romance in Pantomime”.

City Lights has been named the best romantic comedy of all time by the American Film Institute (AFI).

City Lights Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.19:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charlie Chaplin's City Lights arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from a 35mm duplicate negative at L'immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy; the final reel was taken from a 35mm duplicate negative held by the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt, grain, noise management, and flicker.

Colorist: Lee Kline."

The first and most obvious discrepancy between Park Circus' release and Criterion's upcoming release is the different framing. The Region-B release presents the film in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 while Criterion's release presents the film in the more accurate 1.19:1 ratio. (You can compare screencapture #3 with screencapture #6 from our review of the Region-B release to see the difference). As far as the technical presentation is concerned, Criterion's high-definition transfer boasts marginally improved clarity and image depth. Because of the better encoding, grain also appears better resolved here. Additionally, brightness levels are slightly elevated, but contrast levels are fairly similar. Image stability is virtually identical. Some minor transition issues remain, but overall stability is very good. Damage marks, scratches, splices, cuts, and stains have been removed as best as possible, but some tiny flecks and warps are still present. All in all, it is very clear that Criterion's presentation of this legendary film is the more pleasing one, but some minor inherited source limitations remain. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

City Lights Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Obviously, the film contains English intertitles.

I liked the 5.1 track on the Region-B release quite a lot, but the LPCM 1.0 track is just as effective. Depth and clarity are both pleasing, The music is also well rounded, through you should not expect the thickness to impress you. Also, there is no problematic background hiss, pops, or audio dropouts to report in this review.

City Lights Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - original trailers for City Lights from the U.S., France, and Germany. With optional English subtitles where necessary. (9 min, 1080p).

• Chaplin Today: "City Lights" - an informative documentary focusing on Charlie Chaplin's career and legacy, featuring filmmaker Peter Lord (Chicken Run). Directed by Serge Bromberg in 2003. The documentary also appears on the Park Circus release of City Lights. In English, not subtitles. (27 min, 1080i).

• Chaplin Studios: Creative Freedom by Design - in this featurette, visual effects expert Craig Barron (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Titanic) discusses Charlie Chaplin's working methods and the various special effects seen in his best films, including City Lights. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• From the Set of City Lights - archival footage from the production of City Lights.
  
  1. The Tramp Meets the Flower Girl - the footage presented here was captured by Charlie Chaplin' friend Ralph Barton. Also included is an audio commentary by Chaplin historian Hooman Mehran. (9 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Stick Stuck in the Grate - this comic routine was originally intended to follow the statue unveiling in the beginning of City Lights. The scene is also included on the Park Circus release. Without sound. (8 min, 1080p).
  
  3. Window-shopping Rehearsal - raw footage without sound. (2 min, 1080p).
  
  4. The Duke - a costume test in which Charlie Chaplin appears as a duke, as imagined by the blind girl in City Lights. Without sound. (2 min, 1080p).

• Chaplin The Boxer -
  
  1. The Champion - an excerpt from Charlie Chaplin's short film The Champion (1915), which was directed for the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company. With music. (10 min, 1080i).
  
  2. Boxing Stars Visit the Studio - raw footage from 1918. Charlie Chaplin is seen with British bantamweight boxer Harry Mansell and assistant director Chuck Reisner, and with American lightweight boxer Benny Leonard. The footage was captured at Chaplin Studios. (5 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - a brand new audio commentary by Charlie Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance, author of Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema, which was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2013. This is a wonderful, very informative commentary. Mr. Vance points out how Chaplin mocked the talking pictures in specific sequences, and discusses the different locations seen in the film, the wonderful synchronizations in many of the best sequences, such as the one where The Tramp and his new friend exchange cigars in the night club, etc. Mr. Vance also provides plenty of information about the film's production history and Chaplin's team.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Gary Giddins and a 1966 interview with Charlie Chaplin.

City Lights Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

City Lights is Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece. In my opinion, it is also the greatest of all silent comedies. Criterion's Blu-ray release of City Lights offers some important improvements in the video department and a wonderful selection of supplemental features, including a very good new audio commentary by Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance. Having seen a couple of Region-B releases, I think that this release should be considered the definitive presentation of City Lights on both sides of the Atlantic. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.