City Lights
“True Blind Love”
Synopsis
A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl. His on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Amy Madigan on CITY LIGHTSOfficial
Type: Featurette • Published 2026-03-07
Top Cast
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Charlie Chaplin
A Tramp
Virginia Cherrill
A Blind Girl
Florence Lee
Her Grandmother
Harry Myers
An Eccentric Millionaire
Al Ernest Garcia
His Butler
Hank Mann
A Prizefighter
Albert Austin
Street Sweeper / Burglar (uncredited)
Eddie Baker
Boxing Fight Referee (uncredited)
Henry Bergman
Mayor / Blind Girl's Downstairs Neighbor (uncredited)
Buster Brodie
Bald Party Guest (uncredited)
Jeanne Carpenter
Diner in Restaurant (uncredited)
Tom Dempsey
Boxer (uncredited)
James Donnelly
Street Sweepers' Foreman (uncredited)
Ray Erlenborn
Newsboy (uncredited)
Robert Graves
Police Officer (uncredited)
Charles Hammond
Street Passerby (uncredited)
Joseph Herrick
Boxing Match Spectator (uncredited)
Austen Jewell
Newsboy (uncredited)
Release History & Theatrical Window
Vukovar Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
March 7, 1931
Wide Cinema Exhibition
March 19, 2008
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$1.5M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$4.3M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
2.83x
+$2.8M net gain
Theatrical Status
Profitable
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Charlie Chaplin
- Screenplay & Story
- Harry Crocker, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Carr
- Original Score
- Charlie Chaplin
- Original Title
- City Lights
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- No Language
- Runtime
- 1h 27m
- Production Budget
- $1.5M
- Worldwide Gross
- $4.3M
- Production Studios
- Charles Chaplin Productions
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Charlie Chaplin
Harry Crocker, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Carr
Charlie Chaplin
Roland Totheroh, Gordon Pollock
Willard Nico, Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Department Leadership Roster
Willard Nico
Editor
Charlie Chaplin
Editor
Roland Totheroh
Director of Photography
Charlie Chaplin
Producer
Charlie Chaplin
Director
Gordon Pollock
Director of Photography
Harry Crocker
Screenplay
Charlie Chaplin
Original Music Composer
Charlie Chaplin
Screenplay
Harry Carr
Screenplay
Henry Clive
Production Design
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
G: General Audiences — All ages admitted. Nothing offensive for children.
International Certification Matrix
General — Suitable for all audiences.
General — Suitable for all ages.
FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.
Universal — Suitable for all audiences.
General Audiences — All ages admitted. Nothing offensive for children.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for City Lights.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring City Lights.
FILMS
Movie Collection
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:40:36 UTC+8)*
Roger Ebert's Great Movies
Every film from Roger Ebert's 'Great Movies' essays. 罗杰·伊伯特的伟大电影： 收录了已故美国著名国民级影评人罗杰·伊伯特（Roger Ebert）在其经典的《伟大电影》（Great Movies）系列专栏文章中推荐、评论过的所有影史经典佳作。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#092] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
AFI Top 100 (2007 Edition)
AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition is an updated edition to AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies, a list of the top 100 greatest American films of all time. AFI 百年百大电影（10周年修订版）： 美国电影学会（AFI）评选的最伟大的100部美国电影。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:37:20 UTC+8)*
S&S Critics - Greatest Films
Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2022 (Critics' Poll). Every decade the Sight and Sound team asks critics to name the greatest films of all time. Here are the results of the 2022 poll – the largest ever, with 1,639 critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics each submitting their top ten ballot - and now updated with the complete list. 《视与听》2022年影评人评选影史百大电影（含并列完整版）： 由 1639 位影评人、策展人及学者共同票选的影史最伟大电影。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#152] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#171] Out 1 (1971) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:37:09 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About City Lights
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is City Lights about?
A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl. His on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.
Who directed City Lights?
City Lights was directed by Charlie Chaplin.
Who stars in City Lights?
The principal cast of City Lights includes Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers, Al Ernest Garcia.
When was City Lights released and how long is it?
City Lights was released in 1931 with a total runtime of 1h 27m.
What was the box office and production budget of City Lights?
City Lights had a reported production budget of $1.5M and grossed $4.3M at the worldwide box office (2.83 return on budget, classified as a commercial hit).
Who composed the musical score for City Lights?
The original motion picture soundtrack for City Lights was composed by Charlie Chaplin.
What is the age rating and content advisory for City Lights?
City Lights holds official age classifications: AU: G (General — Suitable for all audiences.); CA: G (General — Suitable for all ages.); DE: 12 (FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.); FR: TP; GB: U (Universal — Suitable for all audiences.); US: G (General Audiences — All ages admitted. Nothing offensive for children.).