Seriously... saw this in my film history class and wanted to shoot myself. I think I may have chuckled once during the entire movie. That and I wanted to kill someone seeing chaplin do that retarded walk with those shoes that stick up into the air for no apparent reason...
So yeah out of curiosity what does this film have that makes you people like it?
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I have seen an excerpt today in my Management class (yes i know!) and loved it as well. We were shown the factory bit, and it was a good starting point for discussion. I was laughing my socks off upon seeing the feeding machine, but then again, I found the message of the film poignant and sad. Still, it was a very enjoyable comedy, quite unlike most of the contemporary stuff out there.
What struck me most, though, is that some of my classmates (fortunately, being a minority rather than majority) really did think the movie was crap and did not laugh for a split second.
It got me wondering why I laughed. And why they didn't.
I showed it to the college class I teach. They were dreading a "silent film" When it was over, many of them came up to me and said it was so good. Most of them laughed during the film. Some told me that it really opened their eyes to older films and Charlie Chaplin. The class was made up more of 18 to 21 year-olds, with some older students. Many of the youngest loved it. A black student had to bring her 14 year-old daughter to class. I thought oh no. She afterward said her daughter mentioned how much she liked the movie. Of course not everyone liked it I know, but:
Modern Times: funny, poignant, profound, an all-time great.
Why do I like it? It was a beautiful, odd love story. It made many social comments. The main characters were magnetic. It was funny. It profiled many challenging human situations. It profiled the little guy versus the big guy. It showed the problems of a person who just didn't fit in.
i just saw this movie today -- so cute! i was laughing so much! I'm 16!
shareome thing you have to keep in mind is that this was made in 1936. back in the day humor wasnt as raunchy and sex driven as it is today. im 17 and i thought it was ok, what was remarkable was the camerawork
shareI think that a lot of what Chaplin did in his day is taken for granted now because it has been borrowed from so often. Not just the slapstick but also the dramatic filmmaking.
But there is always something new to be discovered in watching Chaplin's films. There is a simple purity to it like you are watching something for the first time.
I'm 16, first saw this movie when I was 14, loved it then and still do. There was so much funny stuff to it, Charlie when he has his breakdown, and he's tightening all the bolts and sees the buttons on the lady's skirt and tries to go after them. And his little destructive ballet where he's going around the factory on a chain and spinning everything up high. And when he gets caught in that revolving feeding machine, and when his boss gets caught in a machine during lunch and Charlie's trying to feed him. Don't forget him skating, right next to the edge and going 'look, I can do it blindfolded!', and we were all thinking 'he's gonna fall!' Or how about his day dream of having it all, a cow ready for milking, and a pear tree right next to the window. And I about laughed myself sick when he started doing that gibberish song in the restaurant.
The comedy aside, you have to admire their persistence, no matter how bad things got, they always kept trying. They tried making a dream home out of their shack, it didn't last but they tried and when it did stand they were happy with what they had. And at the end, Charlie's words to the gamin, "buck up, never say die, we'll get along", that's the kind of attitude that more people ought to carry nowadays.
How can you like this movie? A better question, how can you not?
we have just seen it at school and there was applause at the end
the best part is the matrix scene (when he bends fast to avoid bullets)
it was much better than i have expected
Excellently put
sharewell it doesn't have the comic brilliance of scary movie but still.come one man how can you even post on a movie site and say thois movie is bad????go watch rob schneider movies instead.chaplin rule and it's actual even nowadays
shareIt was comedy before todays sick and perverted excuse for comedy. It wasn't sexually driven like stuff I'm sure you'd like.
shareFInd me a comedic actor today who can act, write, direct, compose, produce, sing, make social commentary, and roller skate like a madman all in one movie.
shareAmen to that.
You see some guy in a movie these days say a few smart aleck lines, or pull off some pigeon stunt and you say 'oh he's amazing, the man's a genius', but until you see the kind of work like the comedy pioneers of film did, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Oh man ..i agree ...
i'm glad Charlie Chaplin ever walked the face of earth .. I watched this movie last night and i was laughing like a small kid .. or a madman .. and the best part was that there was not a single fart joke, or a semen joke or a sex joke .. it was pure .. and hillarious .. and inspiring .. especially when he says towards the end "buck up, never say die. We'll get along" ... i'll never forget these words and the situation in which he says those words ..
Thank you God for Charlie Chaplin
I can't believe people's hearts didn't jump out of their chests when he skates to the edge. On repeated viewings, I have to yell "STOP IT" and pause because I can't help but crack up. I still recall the first time I saw it, I couldn't believe the things he was doing - in fact, I got a cough that night because I laughed so hard.
shareThere is something about being forced to watch a film in a school atmosphere that kills the experience for many people. It may be a great movie, and though some people will be able to see past their prejudice, most won't.
We watched Quiz Show in Ethics and although it was quite enjoyable, Academy Award nominated and directed by Robert Redford who brought us such masterpieces as Ordinary People, I wanted to strangle the movie (if that's possible). We also watched one of my favourite movies (The Truman Show), and most people who hadn't seen it before just thought it was weird.
~Formerly known as "eowynmaiar".
If you're taking a Film History course, chances as it's a college-level course; this means that you're not being forced to watch anything. You pay to take these courses, so nobody is forcing you to do anything. Ultimately, what's so bad about having to watch a film in a scholastic atmosphere? It doesn't get any easier and more enjoyable than that. I've picked up on this sentiment in many of my college courses and I find it incredibly sad and irritating. It's symptomatic of the rampant anti-intellectualism that's promoted in our culture; e.g. it's "cool" to not know or want to know too much about history or any movie before 1980, god forbid it's black and white.
shareWoody Allen can. Although, maybe not today ...
shareI'm a senior in high school and was shown this movie in film class today... all of us were cracking up throughout most of the movie! There's something so sweet and idyllic about "the little tramp", and yet the story itself is so dark and depressing. Only Chaplin could make the Depression this heartfelt and amusing at the same time. Loved it.
shareWhere is your sence of humor pal? It's a very old movie and we laughed at other things back then, but I think that this is an important link to the past, and that makes it worth the top 250
sharewe just watched this in a class we have called Music & The Media, and everyone was laughing throughout the entire movie
it's made me really want to watch a lot more Chaplin
"Why would they want the Duke's...son killed?"
Am I the only one who watched this outside of class?
Granted I'm watching it as part of my quest to watch all of the top 250...
what Bob K 23 says in the first post is my general feeling towards most "profit oriented" movie.. just replace the name Chaplin with "hollywood production" and you have it.. just watched it last night and I think it is brilliant.. that "eating machine" has me rolling on the floor every time..
shareFor people from my generation (I'm 20) it's probably the only way most of them will see it. Most of the people around my age I know probably wouldn't be interested which is a terrible shame, as I worry great movies like this one will slowly fade away from memory.
That said, I never actually saw it in school. I saw a clip of Chaplin from The Great Dictator on YouTube a month ago and have discovered his other movies that way... so perhaps there's still hope thanks to the internets. :)
"You know for as long as I can remember I've had memories."
my cinema teacher showed us up to the point where he was taken to jail. when i left school that day i went to the library and grabbed every Chaplin movie i could find and watched them at my house. and i am also on a quest to watch all of the top 250, but i didn't even know the movies were even on the top 250, i just really wanted to watch Chaplin =)
shareActually, the tea-drinking scene would probably not be out of place in a lot of
modern comedies.
--Balok
Because we just do?...and we just don't care
shareThis isn't just a funny movie. This isn't just a brilliant comedy. This is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, and so is City Lights.
Even those of you that are praising the film talk about how much you laughed during it. This film isn't always funny. It's also deep, and tragic.
It's a complete masterpiece, not just a genius comedy.
Couldn't have said it better myself. Humor, relationships, heartache, social issues, etc. How could Charlie have gotten so much into this?
share"Modern Times" is actually a very transitional film for Chaplin, when he was moving away from the more external, character-relationship films of the earlier half of his career, and into the more internalized, society-oriented films of the later half of his career.
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View my films at: www.youtube.com/comedyfilm
bob_k_23... how old are you?
When I was 15 I might have found this amusing for the physical humour, and when I was 12 I probably wouldn't have laughed much, but I'm 20 now and I think this film is a comic masterpiece.
Charlie Chaplin is the world's most acknowledged comic genius - and to say that you don't find him funny is like saying that you don't like chocolate. That is, if you don't like chocolate, well, there isn't much you can do about it - but as a non chocolate eater you would acknowledge that at least 98% of people like chocolate, so your question should be: 'Who else finds Zoolander funny?' or whatever modern 'comedy' you think is great - not to ask 'How can you people like the world's funniest man's most adored film?'
Also, you may have watched in the wrong context - there are two things I suggest you could do the liven up your Chaplin experience. First, check out some of his short films to get a feel for him. I found that it took a while to get used to the 'rules' of silent comedy, but once I did, his full length films were fantastic. I particularly recommend 'A Dog's Life' and 'Shoulder Arms'. Then, watch it one of his films with someone who really likes Chaplin, or a few people who you know will like him - you'll find that their laughing helps to bring out the funny side for you.
that sounds a lot like a comment someone would say after the class to sound cool to all the popular kids. if u really wanted to shoot yourself during this movie i suggest you stick to movies like 'national treasure' and 'joe dirt'.
sure, not for everyone, but it is a classic, and if u just write it off as an old movie with no special effects or titties then your going to hate it from beginning to end. i tihnk its genuinely laugh out loud funny.