Music Box Screens Fresh Chaplin

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 27, 2010 3:40PM

It's that moment when she extends the flower, and Charlie takes it from her, lifts it to his face and presses the stem against his teeth. That's the moment in City Lights that, without fail, causes us to start bawling. It's one of the most tender moments in film history and it's part of the Charlie Chaplin retrospective currently underway at the Music Box.

What more can be said about Charlie Chaplin? (That's a rhetorical question we don't intend to answer in this post.) What we can tell you is that Janus Films has struck a whole mess of new 35mm prints for this retrospective, and that's reason enough to head over to Music Box and catch as many as you can. Another reason: Chaplin's form of pathos is best experienced on a big screen with an audience--it's startling how much funnier and more moving Modern Times is with a box of popcorn in your lap and dozens of strangers sitting nearby.

Alas, The Circus has already come and gone, but we just might catch it on DVD. A meme going around claims that you can spot a time traveler using a cell phone in the background of one scene. Honest.

The Chaplin series runs through November 4 at the Music Box, 3733 N. Southport Ave. Admission to each screening is $9.25, or you can purchase an “ALL CHAPLIN PASS” for $35.