#25: City Lights

City Lights (Chaplin, 1931)

Chaplin movies are so simple there's not a whole lot to say about them. Chaplin is the master of physical comedy in silent films, and he's got a grudge against those who consider themselves 'High society'. In this one he plays (Shockingly) a poor man who doesn't fit in with rich society. He meets a blind woman and falls in love with her, and she thinks he's rich because he was driving the car of a rich man he lucked into talking out of suicide. Problem is, the rich guy can only recognize him when he's drunk, so when the blind woman needs money to avoid being evicted, he has to desparately try to get her money. It's all very funny and a nice little story, and ends up in a very memorable final scene.

Rating: **** / 5

50/101

Halfway there and it's only May. That's a good pace. I found Pather Panchali, the hardest one to find left, cheap on VHS. (It would have been like $70 on DVD. No.)

Others:

Elephant: ** 1/2 / 5

A realistic film that follows a day of school that ends with a Columbine style shooting. In the first hour of the film the kind of actors they got worked in the film's favor. But then when there are kids marching through the halls with guns, nobody seems to emotionally react very much. I don't see the terror, or the panic. People walk toward the sound of gunfire instead of away from it. People have a gun in their face and calmly say "Please don't do this. Please don't do this". The acting just doesn't make me feel the tragedy.

New films:

Mother and Child: 7/10

One of the most emotional films I've seen in a while. It follows two main characters. a 51 year old woman who had a baby when she was 14, and her daughter she's never met. Both have severe social dysfunctions. The mother is overly demanding a drives everyone away, and the daughter avoids any long term relationships altogether because she doesn't want anyone to expect anything from her. Based on the adoption contract, the only way for them to get in contact with each other is for one to leave a letter that the other can receive if she ever comes looking. Both of them sort of secretly want to meet each other but avoid seeking each other out. Parts of the film are very happy, other parts are very sad, and the entire resolution is emotionally moving.