Rating: /5
Criterion Challenge 2024 | 17/52 | In the 2022 Sight & Sound Top 100
A vagrant falls for the sweetest, prettiest, blindest girl he’s ever met, and when he’s with her, his heart jumps like a frog on July asphalt before it dies.
But the blind girl thinks the derelict man is a millionaire. Hijinks!
Around this time, Chaplin made silent movies because he could, not because he needed to. His Tramp was never successful with lines, so why spoil what works? The film is “sound-assisted,” where sound effects and Charlie-Brown-teacher sounds sync with the images.
I’ve voiced it before, but I don’t get much out of Charlie Chaplin movies. I get why he’s one of the most beloved characters in movie history, but watching his films always feels like homework.
I know I’m in the minority, and I don’t expect folks to agree with me.
I’m 90% certain I’ve seen this before — at least, I’ve seen the big gags. Regardless, I fell asleep during the second half. So, I won’t rate it.