City Lights ending (was Can you ID this Chaplin film?)

There are probably a lot of valid explanations for why this works so well (and I need to admit that although I will occasionally get teary-eyed from a movie, 'City Lights' actually made me cry). I think part of the effect is the ambiguity of the ending. We project onto the film our own wishes (or, to make it sad, all possibilities including the negative)about what would happen after the fade-out, and because of the ambiguity, any personal interpretation is valid.

Now if someone wants to argue that the ending is *not* ambiguous, we could really have a debate, but I wouldn't want anyting said to spoil the experience for anyone who, like me until recently, has not yet seen the

I could never get over seeing that same ending (of City Lights) with that other actress (who's name I forget.) I must have watched that film 15-20 times over 30 years, and to see someone else play that role was just too weird.

Do you mean Georgia Hale?

Yeah, I think Virginia Cherrill did a very good job, especially when she says, 'Yes, I can see now.' After watching that scene, it's hard to believe that she and Charlie Chaplin didn't get along very well in real life!