AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies: No. 51


Back in 1998, the American Film Institute unveiled its list of the 100 greatest films as voted on by members of the cinematic community. The year, I'm looking at the films on that list, re-ranked according to my preference. Check back Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year as we walk through this list of classic films.

The Tramp: Tomorrow the birds will sing.

City Lights (1931)
Original List Position: 76
Starring: Charlie Chaplin
Director: Charlie Chaplin
About: We come to another of Chaplin's films, one of his classics. This is a classic love story. In it, the Tramp finds a blind girl and seeks to help her. He manages to pull it off, but at great cost. As always, there's great fun and comedy in the film. But it's the sweet ending that is one of the reasons it's been so enduring. It is a film that leapt quite a bit in the re-ordered countdown, too. It went from 76 all the way to 11. I am somewhere in the middle. I like it a bit, and it's one of my favorite Chaplin films. It's got an iconic story and it's a great example of the silent era, though not as much a personal favorite as one that will come in a few weeks.

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