Chaplin's films try to explore an absolute kindness that is not necessarily based on material or educational foundations, but rather as a trait that people are born with (if we change the sex of the flower girl, will it This kind of portrayal and expression of goodness reaches a height that not only transcends class, but also transcends gender?) We can still say that this is Chaplin's pursuit of beauty, and it is difficult to hold on to beautiful things to the extent that it almost becomes self-dedicated care.
Chaplin's films are full of "disturbances", from the reckless appearance on the statue at the beginning of the film, to the jokes made with him on the floor at the dance, the squeaking that hinders the singer's singing, and the inexplicable going on stage to participate in a boxing match. The solemn atmosphere or the spectacle that should have been respected, this interruption altogether achieves some kind of amazing harmony, and Chaplin brilliantly shows how to prompt the conflict between authorities/seriousness and his clumsiness without letting this conflict become opposition, and more of a comedy effect. We don't complain about the clumsiness of Chaplin's image, on the contrary, his unconsciousness and sluggishness, or the incomplete part of his character, constitutes his endearing. When he is kicked out of the house, taken into the police station, or teased by children on the street, we will not see a series of intense emotional expressions such as rage and madness that a complete personality should have, and more It's childlike confusion and frustration. His presence is nothing like an adult, it's an internal rather than within the plot/external conflict: the conflict between his physical state and mental state. Apart from adults, Chaplin's films are equally applicable to children, Maybe even their perception of the movie can reach another level: this kind of "goodwill", accepted without hesitation, is just as normal as children sharing their toys selflessly with their friends.
The scene where the girl who sold flowers came home moved me very much: we can have no money and no light, but we can't live without flowers, music, the expectation of love, and the perception of kindness.
Chaplin's construction of suspense is very good, and he felt some of Hitchcock's ideas, that is, how to create a sense of suspense through withhold or release information: in the city lights, the audience has more accessibility to information, for example, we know The board goes up and down, knowing there's someone hiding behind the curtains, it's the difference between our and the protagnoist's accessibility to informaiton creates the clever suspense. A similar scene is seen in Chaplin's blindfolded skating in the Modern Age (the audience knows that he might easily fall off but he doesn't)
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