Movie Moment Monday - Beginning with my favorite scene of all time

Every Monday I will share with you one of my favorite film scenes. All it takes for a great movie to have an effect on us is one unforgettable moment. Thus I will celebrate those moments weekly. Whether you're seeing this scene for the first time or the millionth time, please enjoy.

What better way to begin this weekly venture into classic film moments than by sharing, what I usually call, my favorite movie moment of all time.
The film is called City Lights. It was released in 1931 and even though talkies had been around for about four years at that point, director Charlie Chaplin was stubbornly set on producing silent masterpieces. City Lights is one of my favorite films and it's filled with classic moments, but none more wonderful than the boxing match.
Before you read any further, you should know that seeing this scene out of context will in no way ruin the movie for you. Most of Chaplin's movies are comprised of scenes that work perfectly well out of context. The only part of this scene that directly follows the movie's plot is when Chaplin imagines one of his trainers to be the poor blind girl he befriends. This scene will work as well as one of his classic short films.


The Players
Charlie Chaplin - The tramp
Eddie Baker - Boxing referee
Hank Mann - A prizefighter


The Set Up
Chaplin, playing his classic tramp character, needs some money to help a blind flower girl he's smitten with. He comes across a boxer who makes him an offer which will win him $25: fight against him, lose on purpose and split the $50 purse. The tramp, after making sure the guy will go easy on him, agrees. But then the boxer, Eddie Mason, gets a telegram which says the cops are looking for him. Mason flees the scene. Then the man in charge of the matches asks the next guy he sees to fight the tramp. The new guy is bigger and more intimidating. The tramp even offers the split-purse idea, but the new boxer says it's "winner take all."
What follows is physical comedy at its finest.


You Should also know
Not only did Chaplin direct, write and star in this movie, he also composed the score, which you'll probably agree plays a big part in this clip.


Without further ado here is the boxing scene from City Lights (1931).

And there it is. What's great about this scene is all three guys have to be perfect or it won't work. They are basically dancing and one misstep could ruin the take. I can't even count the amount of times I've watched this scene and I don't think I'll ever tire of it.
The above video contains only the boxing match. If you'd like to watch the full scene with the set up, go here.


See you next Monday with another one of my favorite movie moments.