Prachtig melodramatisch verhaal van en met Charles Chaplin als de kleine vagebond. Het tijdperk van de talkie was net begonnen, maar Charley Chaplin bleef met zijn achtergrond als varieté-artiest het sterkst in de gestyleerde werkelijkheid van de stomme film. Tachtig jaar na de opnamen blijft de film amuseren en ontroeren. City Lights was de favouriete film van Orson Welles die zelf de beste Amerikaanse film van de twintigste eeuw maakte.
Bron: uk.imdb.com
Andrei Tarkovsky
Chaplin was exceptionally nervous about the reception of the film just prior to its release in 1931. Silent films were a total anachronism by this time, with Hollywood having completely switched to sound films by the end of 1929. However, the film was enthusiastically received by Great Depression era audiences, and was one of Chaplin’s most financially successful and critically acclaimed releases. At the gala Hollywood premiere, Chaplin’s special guests were Albert Einstein and his wife Elsa. Chaplin wrote in his autobiography that he knew the film would be a success after watching the Einsteins‘ reactions. The film was theatrically re-released in 1950. Bron: en.wikipedia.org