City Lights
With the aid of a wealthy erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed tramp who has fallen in love with a blind flower girl accumulates money to be able to help her medically.
Directed by Charles Chaplin · Comedy · Drama · Romance · 87 min · 1931
Trailer
Director
Charles Chaplin
Writer
Charlie Chaplin
Studio
N/A
Release
07 Mar 1931
Runtime
87 min
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Full Plot
A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind girl. Her family is in financial trouble. The tramp's on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.
Cast & Characters
Charles Chaplin
the blind girl
Virginia Cherrill
her grandmother
Florence Lee
the eccentric millionaire
Harry Myers
his butler (credited as Allan Garcia)
Al Ernest Garcia
the prizefighter
Hank Mann
The Tramp
Charlie Chaplin
a newsboy
Robert Parrish
The Mayor and the blind girl's downstairs neighbor
Henry Bergman
a boxing match referee
Eddie Baker
a street sweeper and a burglar
Albert Austin
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $1.5M, City Lights has grossed $4.3M worldwide — about 2.8x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
Charles Chaplin has directed 5 films in our catalog, including The Gold Rush, The Great Dictator.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
Charles Chaplin appears in 5 films in our catalog, including The Gold Rush, The Great Dictator.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
The Tramp falls in love with the Blind Flower Girl.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Chaplin's last film before sound recording was adopted by the industry, marking the end of the silent movie era.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Chaplin could still conceive City Lights as a silent film due to being his own producer and distributor.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
City Lights holds 8.5/10 on IMDb (215,345 votes), 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, 99/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of July 30, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.5/10 on IMDb (215,345 votes), 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, 99/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is City Lights's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
City Lights holds a 95% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is City Lights's IMDb rating?+
City Lights has a 8.5/10 rating on IMDb from 215,345 votes.
What is City Lights's Metacritic score?+
City Lights has a Metascore of 99/100 on Metacritic.
Is City Lights good? What are critics saying?+
City Lights holds 8.5/10 on IMDb (215,345 votes), 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, 99/100 on Metacritic.
How long is City Lights?+
City Lights has a runtime of 87 min.
Who directed City Lights?+
City Lights was directed by Charles Chaplin.
Where can I watch City Lights?+
City Lights is available to stream, rent, or buy on Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Lionsgate Play, Lionsgate Play Apple TV Channel, Lionsgate Play Amazon Channel.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to "City Lights" is overwhelmingly positive, with many reviewers and viewers praising Charlie Chaplin's performance, the film's charming and sentimental tone, and its unique blend of humor and pathos. The trailer comments suggest that the movie has resonated with audiences on multiple levels, including laughter and tears.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
Virginia Cherrill charmingly plays a young, blind, flower seller whom the tramp (Charlie Chaplin) falls for, hook line and sinker. Later that night, he is crossing a bridge when he encounters a suicidal, dipso, millionaire (Harry Myers) whom he convinces to hang about for a while…
CinemaSerf · 7/10
From the trailer's comments
Emma Stone’s favorite film.
@Moondancin · 2 likesThat boxing scene is f****** hilarious!!! The slapstick is perfection!
@alexdavies1662 · 12 likesthere are 2 moments of crying in this Charlie Chaplin movie 1 is for laughing so hard until you cry at the silliness.... the other one is for the unexpectedly touching ending.... epic Ch-Chap is epic!
@lumutmenjulurrr · 26 likesGodfather - wizard of Oz - CityLights . My top 3 movies ever. No order.
@nadacalza · 6 likes0:35 so THATS where it came from!
@BANANAsuit231_eggs · 1 likesThis made my movie trailer playlist (300+ trailers). You might like others on the list. Take care!
@4cryingoutloud604 · 4 likesYou will never forget this movie after watching it
@germasaurus · 37 likesTimeless classic ❤
@alandesouzacruz5124 · 0 likes
