thank you, MJ. it. was. AWESOME.
really unbelievable. one of the most incredible, most memorable experiences of my life. i will never forget it, and even if i am fortunate enough to do this multiple times, it will never compare to tonight.
i went out for a nice dinner first. afterwards i was having some coffee with ameretto when i realized it was five minutes to eight! the show started at eight! eek!!! i took off - fortunately the performing arts center was only a block away, and despite the ice still lingering on the sidewalks, i managed to get there just before it began.
the conductor of the orchestra said a few words beforehand, mentioning that
city lights was his favorite chaplin movie. i knew i would cry at the end - no matter how many times i've seen
city lights, i always tear up at the end. but as soon as the orchestra began and the title came up on the screen, i began to weep. i couldn't help myself!
it was a sold out show. i looked around the crowd and was amazed at the turnout. what was even more amazing to me was the reaction from the crowd. hearing the laughter was something i'll always remember - hearing what it must have sounded like when
city lights was a new movie back in 1931 and audiences were seeing it for the first time. it is the closest i will ever get to living back in a time that fascinates me so.
and when i watch
city lights at home, i'll see something funny, but i won't really laugh. at most, i'll chuckle. but tonight it was all laugh out loud moments. it's so different seeing it on the big screen!
and the orchestra.
amazing. FLAWLESS. i've seen
city lights a dozen times maybe, and i couldn't tell the difference at all between the musicians and the actual score from the dvd. i was so into the movie i'd have to look at the orchestra sometimes to remind myself it was live music. hats off to them - they were incredible.
here's a weird thing i've always associated with CL. i don't know why, but virginia cherrill in
city lights has always reminded me of my grandmother. i don't know why. imogene wasn't a blind flower girl living in paris in the 20's that i know of, but she had a quality that makes me think of her. maybe it was her kindness, her sweetness. chaplin fired cherrill during the making of
city lights - if you go back and read what i wrote about it several pages back you can get the whole story. but i'm so glad he reconsidered and hired her back. she was perfect for the role.
i tried to prepare myself as we neared the end. even people who aren't charlie chaplin fans have agreed that the ending of
city lights is one of the best in cinema history. so moving. and i wondered if the orchestra would get the defining moment of the movie down for me. chaplin couldn't read music, but he had a very sharp instinct in using it in his films. he knew where to use and it and most importantly, where NOT to use it.
after the tramp has sacrificed so much for the blind girl - even going to prison for a crime he didn't commit, he wanders the street, broken and lost after he can't find her in her usual spot where she sells her flowers. because of him, she has had surgery to restore her vision and now owns her own flower shop. ^ that pic up there is the exact moment the tramp sees her. and in the movie, the music stops. it's totally silent. and it has more impact - with me, anyway - than any music that exists, no matter how beautiful it may be.
and the orchestra NAILED it. it packed such a bigger punch with me. i wept openly by then - it was so beautiful.
there was resounding applause after THE END title card faded. i clapped my
ass off. i wiped what was left of my eye makeup off and sat in my seat as everyone filed out, thinking about it all. chaplin was very nervous at the premiere of
city lights. talkies had taken hold of hollywood by then - no one was interested in silent films anymore. but chaplin stubbornly refused to join the talkie revolution, thinking silent films would remain in place. i always loved how he thought there would be silent films along with talkies - he was wrong, but his vision was pure, imo.
so, in short. i am more in love with charlie chaplin than ever before. sponduliks forever!