Sound Of Silence

Flower Girl: You?
Tramp [Nods]: You Can See Now?
Flower Girl: Yes, I Can See Now.
— City Lights

The above exchange constitutes what is definitely one of the most moving final scenes in history of movies. It is amongst the last great films from the silent era and made by one of the icons of world cinema, Charles Chaplin. City Lights was released in 1931, well after the talkies had come to Hollywood. However, Chaplin trusted the formula, which had made him a legend and decided to make the movie without dialogue. A few placards are all that he needed to convey the message as the film progresses. The magic was in the moving picture.

Chaplin plays his usual alter ego, the tramp whilst the radiant Virginia Cherrill plays the flower girl; who is blind when we first see her. The tramp is immediately taken with her and buys a flower. She is touched by his kindness and mistakenly thinks him to be a sympathetic rich person. Chaplin doesn’t revel his true identity with the fear of her rejecting him and so begins their relationship, with the tramp trying to help her at every stage. He tells her of an advertisement in the newspaper about an eye operation, which may help regain her sight, knowing that once she can see, the truth will be reveled. How he goes about raising the money for her operation is what makes this an inimitable Chaplin film, with his usual brand of self-deprecating comedy. There is a side story, which is essential to the romantic plot, and to watch Chaplin handle the various situations he finds himself in is to understand what classic comedy was in the silent era.

There are a couple of outstanding scenes between the tramp and the flower girl. The first is when he comes to give her the money for the operation. He hands her some dollar bills and keeps one for himself. She is touched and the affection she feels for him, leads to the tramp handing her the extra bill from his pocket. The second scene is towards the end when the flower girl has regained her sight and the tramp, who is holding a flower in his hand, is delighted to see her after a long time. She doesn’t recognize him and the way Chaplin’s expression changes from joy to dismay is mirrored in the flower losing all its petals gradually, till he is left holding just the stem. Then of course is the conclusion and the way, in which she discovers his identity, is something every cinema lover should experience at first hand. However, it is worth mentioning that the look on her face at that moment is the most heart-breaking one to be captured on film. Surprisingly, this is the debut film for Cherrill and it is as much a credit for Chaplin as for her to get that performance. The haunting score, by Chaplin himself, adds to the unforgettable moment.

Silent films, especially ones by Chaplin, were notable for pantomime performances. That was necessary to communicate to the audience what words usually do. Yes, the contemporary cinema needs a Quentin Tarrentino for engaging dialogue and yes, it needs a Peter Jackson for spectacular special effects, but at no point in the movie does the audience feel the need for any of this. The essence of Chaplin’s films is its simplicity. The tramp’s comedy may be slapstick but it has an unmistakable poignancy to it. City Lights is the most prime example of that fact. It is often said that anyone who does not smile after watching Singing In The Rain or Hard Days Night, must be the grumpiest person alive. Similarly, anybody who doesn’t have a lump in the throat after City Lights, is beyond human help. Chaplin appreciated the sweet sound of silence and taught generations of movie watchers to love it as well.