City Lights [1931]

I must admit, I am not entirely familiar with pre-50s movies- I can literally count on my fingers how many from those decades I have seen. But yesterday I decided to broaden my view and try something nice, light and classic: "City Lights", written and directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin.
It tells the story of a vagabond who falls in love with a blind girl who sells flowers on the street. The movie takes us through his journey of trying to know and help the poor girl, all in a hilarious and dynamic way. 
Since it is a silent movie, the focus was more on the comedic side of Chaplin, which is exceptionally interesting and entertaining. He is, without a doubt, a fantastic actor and deserves all the credit he gets- his quirky movements, his extremely expressive face and his lovable character made the movie what it is. I am now looking forward to seeing more of him, but also trying out some Buster Keaton features.
I was a little bit surprised by the fact that I found myself laughing from the beginning, in the first scene with the statue, to the party scenes and more- I wasn't expecting it to be so funny. It had a lot of great moments, and you cannot not smile at most of them (some were a bit too much, in the sense that the same joke was done more than once and that made it lose its charm, but it didn't make such a difference). 
No dialog also meant more time to observe other things; for me, the score/soundtrack was vital, as it must help and guide the viewer into the scriptwriter's wanted direction - I learned to appreciate it and the orchestra much more than I did in the past. [it also reminded me a lot of The Artist, but I guess that is normal..] 

The final scenes is one of the most romantic, sweet and incredibly endearing moments I have ever seen on screen. The way he looks at the girl after he finally notices her, the love in his eyes and the relief and happiness- all was so wonderful and touching, it felt real and it almost brought tears to my eyes. I will forever remember it!
If you haven't watched a Chaplin movie yet, I suggest you do it soon! It is magical and it helps you relax and smile! City Lights is a wonderful film that I highly recommend!