Charlie Chaplin may have clung to silent films long after most other directors had abandoned them, but the musical scores for his films made in the Sound Era are so beautiful that we can only be grateful that he finally accepted the idea that film and sound can co-exist.
City Lights
- "La Violetera" is the main theme used as a leitmotif for the blind flower girl, one of the film's central characters. The music was composed by José Padilla in 1914. Lyrics were later written by Eduardo Montesinos and interpreted and popularized by the Spanish singer Raquel Meller. Chaplin couldn't give Raquel Meller (the original song performer) the lead role in the film, but he used her song anyway as a major theme.
Modern Times
Part of what made Charlie Chaplin's grand finale performance as The Tramp so memorable is the film's soundtrack.- "Je cherche après Titine" was performed by Chaplin during the "singing waiter" scene. The Tramp has to make up some gibberish lyrics after he loses the real ones. The lyrics are nonsensical but appear to contain words from French and Italian. This also marks the first time viewers have heard The Tramp speak onscreen, which is another reason the song was a hit during its release.
- "Smile" was played during the ending scene of the film, in which the Tramp and his new girlfriend, the gamin, are sitting at the side of a country road. The Tramp is consoling the gamin, who has recently decided there is no point in trying to escape the city. Then the Tramp encourages the gamin to smile, and they are seen optimistically walking side by side into the sunrise together in a memorable sequence. Part of what makes this moment so memorable is the music accompanying the moment, which lets the audience feel the duo's romance and trust in each other. John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons gave the music a title and some lyrics in 1954, after which Nat King Cole made a hit recording of it. The melody still holds up to this very day.
Limelight
- "Terry's Theme" is the main theme music to the film. It became a popular and often-covered song. Eventually the music was renamed "Eternally" and Geoff Parsons and John Turner wrote lyrics for the music. Then, at the 45th Academy Awards in 1972, Limelight won for "Best Original Dramatic Score"—the only competitive Oscar of Chaplin's career, presented two decades after the film was made.note
