Not everything is represented in this photo, which shows a very old American movie (silent!), a pretty old Italian movie, a so-so old Japanese movie and a recent Korean one. Plus an ornament which puzzled me at first, because I thought it must have a function other than looking pretty. And I made a conscious decision to pick up an old bad habit I quit years ago.
Anyway, I didn't know anything about the plot of the Chaplin movie 'City Lights' other than that it involved a blind flower girl who mistakenly believes Chaplin's character -- yet another incarnation of the Tramp that he made famous -- to be a wealthy man. [HERE COMES A SPOILER -- SKIP THE REST OF THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF WHAT HAPPENS; BUT IF, LIKE ME, YOU DON'T MIND HAVING PLOTS SPOILED, READ ON]
For some reason I thought the movie would end without the girl -- now able to see thanks to the Tramp's sacrifice -- ever discovering the true identity of her benefactor; I was gratified to find that she does indeed learn it was the Tramp who was responsible for her regaining her sight. And as I watched that ending scene, my eyes welled up with tears... whaddayagonna do, I'm just an old softie that way.
One more thing -- I also bought a new hat today. A derby, similar to the one the Tramp always wore. I don't know if this qualifies as one of those 'degrees of separation' things, but the reason I became interested in the Chaplin movie is that I am something of a fan of the Korean singer IU (yes, that's her name, pronounced Eye-You), whose last album featured a song titled 'Modern Times', which is a tribute to Chaplin in his guise as the Tramp (and by all means check it out on YouTube -- it's a pretty good song, promise^). In looking up the Chaplin movie the song is named after, I came across 'City Lights', with which I was vaguely familiar, and impulsively ordered it online. Once it arrived though, I let it sit on my coffee table for weeks without opening it, and then just a few hours ago I finally watched it. Maybe it was the derby sitting on my head that gave me a subliminal cue.
One more thing -- I also bought a new hat today. A derby, similar to the one the Tramp always wore. I don't know if this qualifies as one of those 'degrees of separation' things, but the reason I became interested in the Chaplin movie is that I am something of a fan of the Korean singer IU (yes, that's her name, pronounced Eye-You), whose last album featured a song titled 'Modern Times', which is a tribute to Chaplin in his guise as the Tramp (and by all means check it out on YouTube -- it's a pretty good song, promise^). In looking up the Chaplin movie the song is named after, I came across 'City Lights', with which I was vaguely familiar, and impulsively ordered it online. Once it arrived though, I let it sit on my coffee table for weeks without opening it, and then just a few hours ago I finally watched it. Maybe it was the derby sitting on my head that gave me a subliminal cue.
MAYBE I'LL GET A FEDORA NEXT
