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Modern Times (1936)
 
© United Artists (1936)
SFC Readers' Opinions:
(0)
(0)
(0)
SFC Reviewer's Opinion:
Recommended

Genre
Comedy / Drama / Romance
   
Synopsis

Man vs. Machine! And the winner is every comedy fan when Charlie Chaplin's Tramp confronts assembly line woes in this classic, chosen in 1998 as one of the American Film Institute's Top-100 American Films. The Little Tramp punches in and wigs out inside a factory where gizmos like an employee-feeding machine may someday make the lunch hour last just 15 minutes. Bounced into the ranks of the unemployed, he teams with a street waif (Paulette Goddard) to pursue bliss and a paycheck, finding misadventures as a roller-skating night watchman, a singing waiter whose hilarious song is gibberish, a jailbird and more. In the end, as Tramp and waif walk arm and arm into an insecure future, we know they've found neither bliss nor a paycheck but, more importantly, each other. The times and satire remain timeless in Modern Times.

   
Directed by  
Charles Chaplin
   
Written by  
Charles Chaplin
   
Starring  
Charles Chaplin (A factory worker (as Charlie Chaplin)); Paulette Goddard (A gamin); Henry Bergman (Cafe proprietor); Tiny Sandford (Big Bill (as Stanley Sandford)); Chester Conklin (Mechanic); Hank Mann (Burglar); Stanley Blystone (Gamin's father); Al Ernest Garcia (President of the Electro Steel Corp. (as Allan Garcia)); Richard Alexander (Cellmate (as Dick Alexander)); Cecil Reynolds (Minister); Mira McKinney (Minister's wife (as Myra McKinney)); Murdock MacQuarrie (J. Widdecombe Billows (as Murdoch McQuarrie)); Wilfred Lucas (Juvenile officer); Edward LeSaint (Sheriff Couler (as Ed Le Sainte)); Fred Malatesta (Head waiter). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
 

Length (mins):
87
Ratings:
-- (U)
Language:
ENG

Big 5 Oscar Wins:
0
Big 5 Oscar Noms:
0
IMDB page:
Link

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Important: the following essays and comments are authored by Soul Food Cinema readers. Whilst the Editor prays for the spiritual integrity of all content of this site, it should be noted that these represent personal opinions and carry no official endorsement. If you consider any content to be a misrepresentation of Catholic teaching, please contact SFC. May God bless you and enlighten you in your reading.
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Articles, Essays and Reviews
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Readers' Comments and Opinions
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Click the link to comment on this film. You may like to copy the film title and year (as given above) to your clipboard now for pasting into the following form.
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  Chaplain's comedic and artistic masterpiece  
  Mark Banks (United Kingdom)  
  Opinion: Recommended  
Modern Times was the first Chaplain I watched having seen it listed on so many Top-100 lists, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. I understand many say Chaplain isn’t for them, but most of those people haven’t even sat down to give him five minutes of their time. Modern Times is filled with timeless gags whose humour has not abated; from the initial opening scenes in the factory, to the hilarious scene in the boat yard to the final masterful roller-skating scenes with the object of his affection. Rarely has such artistic and comedic skill been seen together on screen as is found in this; Chaplain’s masterpiece.

 

 

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© Copyright Soul Food Cinema 2008. Terms of quotations and reproductions.
 
Soul Food Cinema - Movie/Film Reviews and Discussion from the World's Catholic-Christian Community
Images in the header are from: Antwone Fisher (© Fox Searchlight, 2002); Stand by Me (© Columbia Pictures, 1986); Jesus of Nazareth (© ITV (1977); The Passion of The Christ (© Newmarket Films, 2004); Rabbit-proof Fence (© Buena Vista, 2002); Amazing Grace (© Bristol Bay Productions, 2006) and Il Postino (© Cecchi Gori Group, 1994).