Chaplin masterpiece screened with symphony on June 24

The film is considered Chaplin's finest.|

Charlie Chaplin is only a vaguely familiar figure to today's filmgoers, but for much of the 20th century he was the most famous person on earth. His immediately recognizable creation, the baggy-trousered, bowler-hatted, toothbrush-mustachioed tramp, developed and perfected over the course of several dozen shorts and feature films, was a friendless yet courtly stand-in for the world's downtrodden majority, and in the days when silent movies transcended the strictures of human speech and national boundaries, his comic, subtly poignant gestures, expressions, attitudes and breathtakingly graceful pantomime were beloved by viewers around the globe.

Chaplin's masterpiece is “City Lights,” released in 1931 and still hilarious, deftly executed and deeply moving. It's a deceptively simple story-the Tramp tries to earn enough money to pay for a blind flower girl's operation-but the execution, the cascade of inspired comic sequences and Chaplin's exquisite performance culminate in one of the unforgettable moments in movie history. It will be screened Saturday night, June 24, in an absolutely ideal setting: the Gundlach Bundschu Winery's outdoor amphitheater with Chaplin's original score performed live by the Sonoma County Philharmonic. The event is a benefit for the orchestra's community outreach program, which sponsors promising young artists and offers free regular-season concert admissions to students 18 and under.

The making of “City Lights” was legendarily time-consuming. Chaplin not only owned his own studio, he was a founding co-owner of the United Artists film distribution collective, so he could indulge his often obsessive perfectionism without having to worry about cash-conscious higher-ups. And as the film's producer, director, writer, composer, editor, publicist and star, he had plenty to be obsessive about. The script (co-written with Harry Carr) took over a year to complete. Filming began in December 1928 and finished in September 1930. (The first scene alone took over a month to shoot.) During those 21 months, the stock market crashed, the silent era ended, Chaplin's mother died and cast and crew were kept on standby as the filmmaker-star spent days, weeks and months deciding what to film next.

All that perfectionism paid off when “City Lights” opened in January 1931 and was an immediate hit despite its defiantly silent status and the crash's depressing aftermath. Chaplin had invested $1.5 million of his own money in the film, but as his own studio head he kept all the profits too (an astounding $5 million). Over the years most critics and filmgoers have agreed that it's his finest, most deftly balanced work; in Sight & Sound's first international poll in 1952 it was declared the second-greatest film ever made, and a few years ago it made the #11 spot on the AFI's list of the greatest American movies of all time. Erudites from George Bernard Shaw and Orson Welles to Federico Fellini and Woody Allen have been among its ardent fans, and the great film critic James Agee called that final, overwhelming moment “the greatest piece of acting and the highest moment in movies.” Welcome back, Charlie!

“City Lights” screens Saturday, June 24, at sunset at the Gundlach Bundschu Outdoor Amphitheater, 2000 Denmark St. Doors open at 7 p.m.; food and wine available for purchase. No coolers, pets or outside food and drink. $75 admission. Info: 206-6775 or socophil.org.

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