Modern Times (re-release)
User Score
9.0 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 48 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 48
  3. Negative: 0 out of 48

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  1. J.Camargo
    Jul 29, 2004
    10
    ONE OF THE BEST FILMS EVER!!!!! Chaplin is such a great actor.
  2. ChrisM.
    Nov 19, 2005
    10
    Superb film by a great artist, one not to be missed.
  3. nakuperchmit
    Apr 23, 2012
    10
    No doubt, one of the best movies ever! Watch Charles Chaplin on his movies and the way he did comedy make people think how genius he was! People who like old movies and comedies will love Modern Times!
  4. koundinya
    Jul 15, 2012
    10
    Funny depiction of the Great Depression brought out by Charles Chaplin's direction. One movie that leaves you jaw-dropped and at the same time provides rib-tickling entertainment. Hats off! Pun intended.
  5. BryceHoogland
    Jul 9, 2012
    9
    Modern Times is directed by the great Charlie Chaplin and I
  6. Compi24
    Nov 28, 2012
    9
    Chaplin once again constructs a positively amusing, yet thematically pragmatic film with "Modern Times."
  7. JustinSmith
    Sep 26, 2010
    8
    While Chaplin is known for his physical comedy, Modern Times moves the Tramp into a new direction, making a hard hitting statement about the depression era and man coexisting with machine.
    Chaplin's lovable Tramp character is seen here as a factory worker, on the verge of a breakdown as he's unable to keep up with the frantic pace mandated by the conveyor belt before him. After being subje    cted to a crack pot inventor's machine, intended to feed employees while they work, the Tramp suffers a breakdown, which causes havoc for man and machine alike. After being mistaken for a communist supporter leading a parade down a street, the Tramp is put in jail, where, after a heroic act, is set free to pursue a life of unemployment. Seeing jail as a better alternative to starvation, the Tramp attempts to return to jail. Meanwhile he meets a Gamin (Paulette Goddard) and they set out to start a new life together.
    Modern Times is a significant film for several reasons. It was originally going to be Chaplin's first talkie as the Tramp, it acted as Chaplin's social comment on the depression era, and it is considered the last silent film from that era. In the end, Modern Times became a mix of silent film and talkie, but in keeping with Chaplin's cleverness, all dialog (except for one scene) is spoken through machines. The factory president barks orders at his workers from big screens throughout the factory (a predecessor of the all-seeing "big brother"), a salesman presents a recording of his sales pitch, and voices are heard over a radio. There are also several sounds presented in the film, such as whistles, dogs, and gunshots. This is also the only time the Tramp speaks, but as expected from Chaplin, the Tramp's only audible dialog is a song of gibberish (which Chaplin chose to make sure the dialog could be understood (or not understood) by all people).
    With Chaplin's Tramp character, he shows how much control his has over his body and why he's one of the greats of physical comedy. Many of the jokes seem overdone, since they've been mimiced endlessly in Hollywood through the years, but it's still easy to appreciate the level of physical control and demand Chaplin commands in his performance. Chaplin's female co-star, Paulette Goddard is no slouch either as she's right along with him in many scenes and proves a worthy companion. There's one particular scene in the factory when the Tramp gets caught in the gears of a large machine, it's like a choreographed dance with the inner-workings of a great machine.
    If you're new to Chaplin or have been a fan for years, Modern Times is an insightful and entertaining romp through an era of beginnings and endings, and what better tour guide than the lovable Tramp.
    DVD/Blu-ray Features
    Apart from a great transfer of this classic film, the DVD/Blu-ray release boasts a handful of extras, including an intro by David Robinson, the insightful 26 minute documentary with Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne titled Chaplin Today: Modern Times, deleted scenes, Modern Times karaoke, photo gallery, and trailer reel.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
96 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 4 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    80
    Remains Chaplin's most sustained burlesque of authority.
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  2. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    100
    Chaplin's sentimental politics and peerless comic invention dovetailed more perfectly in this film than in any other he made.
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  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    100
    An ungainly masterpiece, but Chaplin's ungainliness is something one can grow fond of.
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