Can iconic performances, beautiful cinematography, and timeless themes place this movie at the top of our list, or is the lack of story, slow pacing, and dated humor too much to overcome? Widely considered Charlie Chaplin's best movie, City Lights (1931) is a silent romantic comedy film written, directed, produced, edited, and composed by Charlie Chaplin. It tells the story of a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) who falls in love with a tramp (Chaplin) who helps her.