Post by David TotherohPost by FeuilladePost by David TotherohOK, we all know what BS these top x lists are. Still it's quite
pleasing to see City Lights acknowledged and listed as the best
romantic comedy of all time.
I wouldn't call it the best romantic comedy of all time because I
don't think it's a romantic comedy.
Offhand I'd say the best romantic comedy of all time is probably "The
Philadelphia Story."
Now if you ask me what the greatest comedy of all time is, then "City
Lights" gets my vote -- with "The General" coming in a close second.
Maybe it was both, the only comedy genre category was romantic
comedy.
The list of #1s in AFI's genre categories: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
(Science Fiction), CITY LIGHTS (Romantic Comedy), THE GODFATHER
(Gangster), LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (Epic), RAGING BULL (Sports), THE
SEARCHERS (Western), SNOW WHITAND THE SEVEN DWARFS (Animation), TO
KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Courtroom Drama), VERTIGO (Mystery) and THE WIZARD
OF OZ (Fantasy).
_City Lights_ is definitely not a classic romantic comedy.. Its plot
structure is based
on irony, which is rather antithetical to the spirit of romantic
comedy. Unlike _The Kid_,
(which is also not a romantic comedy), _City Lights_ has never been
imitated because
its plot structure is so integral to the film's meaning that it isn't
readily transferrable to other
narratives. The only Chaplin feature that comes close to being a
romantic comedy is
_The Gold Rush_, which is more of a mixed genre film than a pure
romantic comedy.
But if "romantic comedy" is the only form of comedy represented, then
_City Lights_
is definitely #1. ;-)
None of the AFI picks seem bad to me, though I'd choose another
Hitchcock rather than
_Vertigo_.
As for screwball comedies, I'm partial to _My Man Godfrey_, mainly
becuase Powell
and Lombard are such a potent combination, but it's hard to single out
one in such
a strong field.
Connie Kl