Never should the phrase "<i>This is great</i>" be preceded or followed by "<i>for the time</i>" when describing <i>City Lights</i>. It needs no excuse; it is simply a masterpiece!
86 years later, and the film holds up abnormally well--'<i>an immortal film</i>', an expression of praise that is often given to it, rings quite true--with me guffawing, and sniveling more than what most of the films produced today can possibly dream of attaining from a viewer. There were sparse moments where a smile was <i>not</i> covering my face, and most of those were exactly what Charles intended.
Chaplin really put his all into this; even beyond his fantastic performance (his physical comedy is top notch here, but it's his facial expressions, which were mastered at this point, that I feel are essential in orchestrating the audience), but also behind the scenes. Just barely reading into what was going on at the time, adds fuel to the already roaring fire that is the admiration I have for <i>City Lights</i> and its magnificent creator. Basically, this was a stand; an erect middle finger pointed directly at the new and quickly conquering, talkies. Most filmmakers bowed down; either quitting, or simply giving in and conforming...but not Chaplin. He wouldn't go down calmly. In his own words "<i>every penny I possess</i>" was put into <i>City Lights</i> (1.5 Million). This gave him a dictator-like control over the film, and he did not refrain from using it; bordering on the insane in some cases. The most infamous example of this would be taking <b>MONTHS</b> to shoot a short scene; trying to combat the logic, or lack thereof, said scene. Illogic that would seem innocuous to most (aka me), but to him, it <b>NEEDED</b> to make sense.
However mad it may seem, or frustrating it may have been (for the cast), it's this type of passion, dedication, and fastidiousness that creates such a film. A film that has already, and will continue to last for generations.