do you prefer modern times or city lights?
personally i prefer city lights slightly (the ending was a big determining factor here), though modern times was funnier. i'd like to hear your opinions
share[deleted]
MovieChat Forums > Modern Times (1936) Discussion > do you prefer modern times or city light...
I think City Lights is his masterpiece. Though I like Modern Times, the boxing sequence in City Lights is one of his best comic stunts, and the ending is absolutely incredible.
shareThis is a close one. Both are undoubtedly among the greatest films ever made. I prefer Modern Times just a little bit, because it is funnier and visually more accomplished. The factory intro, with its starkly meticulous mise-en-scene and picture-perfect choreography, is a cinematic tour-de-force.
Also, a little side note: City Lights is not Chaplin's last perfectly silent maserpiece. Like Modern Times, it was released with a synchronized sound track. You will hear trumpet sounds synced for voices in the beginning, as well as whistle noises and clanging bells scattered throughout. The key is that Chaplin did not use these devices for storytelling. The drama is entirely conveyed through pantomime and intertitals. In a sense, Modern Times is Chaplin's most scathing attack on the talking film. Except for the nonsense song, all of the talking is done through the impersonal apparatus of machinery. His message is clear -- sound is a coldly mechanical reproduction. The heart and soul of film lie in the visuals.
I prefer Modern Times - it is my fave Chaplin feature. It has more of what I go to Chaplin for, the comedy. Having said that, the ending of City Lights is one of the best for any film ever so I can see why it's not an easy decision.
shareCity Lights over Modern Times
The first time I ever saw City Lights was in a revival house in NYC in the early eighties. It is one of only two times I ever saw an entire audience of men, women and children cry at the end of a movie. ("You can see now?" "Yes, I can see now.")
The other time was at the spaceship at the end of ET. (ET: "Come." Elliot: "Stay")
Chaplin's final walk down the road in Modern Times is a close second, for different reasons. I am reminded of the words of James Agee, who saw it in 1936: "We shall not see his like again."
Just thinking about it brings a tear to my eyes.
It goes without saying both are excellent, but for me it's City Lights. Mostly because the first time I watched it, I was completely oblivious to just how much it would affect me. Completely amazing.
shareIt was exactly the same for me. City Lights was the first Chaplin film I ever watched. It was shown on a huge screen in an auditorium and the university orchestra played the score along with the film. Going in, I wasn't sure if I would even enjoy it, but afterwords I was amazed at how good it was. Because of this experience, City Lights holds a special place with me and I have to put it ahead of Modern Times.
shareHaha, I'm the exact same. City Lights was the first Chaplin movie I saw, and I was just so amazed at how much I enjoyed it, and have loved it ever since.
share