City Lights, Chaplin's Sublime Creative Peak

City Lights is generally regarded as Charlie Chaplin's greatest film and represents the peak of his achievement and reputation. It tells the deceptively simple story of Chaplin's famous little tramp character who befriends a lovely flower girl and earns money to help her afford surgery to restore her sight. The movie offers a combination of pathos, slapstick and comedy and shows Chaplin's comic, acting and artistic genius at its finest.

Although it was released three years after the start of the Talkies era Chaplin decided to make the film a 'Silent'. It includes a complete musical soundtrack and various sound effects - but no speech or dialogue. Incredibly, Chaplin's film was not nominated for a single Academy Award - to the pro-talking film Academy members, it must have appeared to be reversing the trend toward talkies and advanced sound films.

Chaplin was responsible for the film's production, direction, editing, music, and screenplay.

The AFI recently ranked this #76 on their list of the 100 greatest American movies of all time. Orson Welles had called it his favorite film of all time, while in the mid-‘60s, Stanley Kubrick placed it at #5 on his list of favorites. It's viewed by many others as the quintessential Chaplin film, a masterpiece in slapstick comedy, romance and pantomime. An absolute gem.

James Stewart

Over the course of his career, James Stewart starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Oscars, winning one in competition and one life achievement. He was named the third Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute and became, in the words of Andrew Sarris, "the most complete actor-personality in the American cinema". He also distinguished himself during the Second World War, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force.


This clip is from the moving and uplifting 'Its A Wonderful Life', which Stewart himself regarded as his best film.

King Kong - better in 1933

The 1933 King Kong is still the mother of all big Hollywood monster movies. If you've not seen it yet tie a knot in your handkerchief to remind yourself. Its a great film. Its better than the modern one. The special effects are fantastic, even by today's standards, and the heartbroken, heartbreaking look in Kong's eyes as the planes shoot him off the Empire State building remains the greatest single special effects shot ever made.

Katharine Hepburn. The best of all time?

Katharine Hepburn is number one on the American Film Institute's Top 100 Actresses. And with good reason.

She holds the record for most number of Oscars won. Her career as a leading lady spanned seven decades, over fifty quality films (running the gamut from screwball comedies and romances to high drama), and twelve Oscar nominations (another record) and four Oscars, three of them after the age of sixty. She formed memorable screen partnerships with the likes of Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart and director George Cukor but outlasted all of them and excelled just as easily on her own. A great star.