Buket Gök
188/IB TM
Ece Demircioğlu/ Film
27.09.2016
City Lights
The film “City Lights” was shot in 1931, directed, written, produced and starred by Charlie
Chaplin. As a silent (non dialogue )
film, it is a classic romantic comedy and also contains pieces of drama in it’s
plot. The music in the background of the non dialogue film, is written by
Arthur Johnston and Charlie Chaplin. Although Chaplin preferred live music in
theatres, the music of City Lights was composed by Chaplin and recorded. This
film is about a tramp(Chaplin) falling
in love with a blind women. He is ignored and abused most of the time but tries
to keep being hopeful. The film starts
with an ordinary speech of the mayor and continues with the scene where Chaplin sleeps on a statue which is a
monument. Right at that point, it’s clear to the audience that the protagonist
is a tramp. Later on that day, Tramp meets a flower girl and watches her
adoringly. Simultaneously, he understands that she is blind. That evening, he
runs into a drunken millionaire who is trying to commit suicide and prevents
this act from happening. The next thing is that he finds himself in a fancy
restaurant because the millionaire tries to thank him. Later on he takes him to
his mansion and gives him new clothes and an amount of money. With that money
the tramp buys all the flowers of the women. Also with the car of the wealthy
man, the tramp drives the flower lady home.
Later on he continues going back and forth to the mansion yet when the
wealthy man gets sober, he doesn’t remember him and does not treat him nicely.
The tramp knows that he can cure the flower lady’s blindness with money and he
knows that she is not able to pay the rent of her house. So he works to earn
money and gets fired, fights to earn money and looses. As the last thing, he
visits the millionaire and asks for money. Just when he is about to be caught
by the police because of a misunderstanding, he runs away and gives the money
to the lady. Then the police catches him and puts him into jail. After serving
his time, while walking on the street; he finds himself tormented by the news
paper boys. As he turns to leave, he
finds himself staring at the flower lady through the window. The lady doesn’t
recognize him and try to give him some money and a flower. Later on when she
touches his hand, she understands that it’s him. Surprised by the fact that her
love is a short men with a weird mustache. “You?” she asks, he nods and says
“You can see now?” . She replies tearfully, “Yes, I can see now.”
“Where
the words leave off, gesture begin”
(Essance of Chaplin). With a non dialogue film, he actually revealed how unnecessary the words are. He created his
own music to reflect the emotions of the characters, and that was enough.
Although “Bronlow told that Chaplin never referred to his early shooting
methods in his published writings on his career, because the truth is that he
is embarrassed of not knowing what he was doing.” (Essance of Chaplin), his
shooting methods are described as keystone.
Wide Shot Full Shot
Mid Shot
(The setting, outside of the (The whole character
and (The mayor speaking)
blind girl’s house)
(By looking at the house of
the millionaire
the setting, it’s
easy to say that this on the
background.)(Comparing
is a poor person’s neighborhood.) the two houses, even the door of
this house reveals
that it’s owner
is rich.)
Medium Close Up Over the
shoulder Medium Two Shot
(The
flower lady and the tramp (The
millionaire and the servant
having a conversation.) having a conversation.) 
Long Two Shot Reverse Shot(Characters are emotionally
in
(Again it is the rich neighborhood conflict here. The grandma
doesn’t think
full of
flowers . ) like her optimistic granddaughter about the tramp.)
In
this romantic comedy, Chaplin comments upon the saying which is “it’s just
business”. The tramp earns money by doing nothing. When the Tramp meets the
millionaire when he’s drunk, he gets to be treated as a good friend. On the
other hand, when the millionaire is sober, the class difference reappears and
the millionaire does not even communicate with him. Also, in the first scene of
the movie; all the well dressed people and the mayor try to catch and shoo the
tramp. These both demonstrate the class
difference and hierarchy.
Low Angle- This character is
not significant to the movie yet he is important in the way that he represents
hierarchy. He is the mayor (an important person in the society), that’s why he
is shot with a low angle.
The challenge to find money also reflects
fragments of the Great Depression. During the time when Chaplin started
shooting the film, sound was starting to be implemented in film. To prove that
silent comedy and pantomime still had a place in the world of cinema, Chaplin
shot this film in the way it is now.
Since the technology was not developed enough, it’s hard to observe clear
shooting angles or camera movement. However , panning is sometimes visible.
Pan
“It’s a tale of loners, who find each
other, loose each other and find each other again.” Mr. Whiplash says on the
Imdb review. And the journey of this saying is actually what makes the story
and the film enjoyable. Although it’s
hard to focus on a black& white film in a century full of Hollywood movies,
Chaplin makes it entertaining even without the dialogues. As we are used to watching movies which
change scenes in seconds, events progress in every minute; Chaplin succeeds in
entertaining the audience with the main character Tramp, touching the hearts of
the audience with the love between him and the flower lady, also teaching
people that dedication is the key(in the end the tramp finds the money and
cures the eyes of the women that he loves) . This film being non dialogue does
not lessen anything from the context of the story; it strengthens the gestures,
the looks, the music and all the movements. Without any conversation going on,
the audience focuses on the visual; just like a blind girl being able to focus
on the other senses such as hearing or touching.
A lot of films which are shot in the past
feel outdated because of the old language,
it’s genre or topic. With it’s music and universal theme, the only thing
that this Chaplin made film represent is timelessness.
References
Arwan, Andrew. "Silence Is
Golden:Chaplin." Andrew
Arvan. Jeane Wilette, 06 Apr. 2014. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
Elbert, Roger. "Movie Review." Rogerrebert. N.p., 21 Dec.
1997. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
N.p., n.d. Web.
<http://unutulmazfilmler.co/city-lights.html>.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder