WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Only that it's a Charlie Chaplin film.
LET ME EXPLAIN...
After watching The Gold Rush and deciding that we were Charlie Chaplin fans, my wife and I were looking forward to watching the remaining two Chaplin films on this list (the other one being "City Lights"). "Modern Times", while having its moments, wasn't as funny as "The Gold Rush". On the other hand, I definitely found this film to be an interesting social commentary.
Unlike the Marx Brothers, who I am convinced put no thought into their films or jokes other than what they thought was funny, Charlie Chaplin really seemed like not only a comic genius, but he used his films to make a serious comment in a humorous way. For example, "The Gold Rush" was about the real events of desperate people making the dangerous trek to Alaska in the hope of finding gold. He took a light-hearted yet caring look at a sad reality.
Similarly, "Modern Times" focused on both the cons of the Industrial Revolution as well as the sad reality of the Depression. Making observations on the monotony of working in factories, bosses maximizing work hours to increase production (the automatic feeder was probably the funniest part of the movie), the strikes, and people stealing bread were all thought-provoking. So while I didn't think it was the funniest movie, it was still interesting to me.
What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
Thank goodness for Special Features, because when this ended, I didn't really understand why it was on the list. Nothing about it seemed particularly amazing or groundbreaking. Fortunately, I learned that this was in fact the final film to feature Chaplin's famous "tramp" character (which, as I also learned, is evidently the most recognizible fictional character EVER). That, and possibly the social commentary mentioned above (especially for being made in 1936), may be the reason it's on the AFI List.
Complaints
Already mentioned it above, but this film just wasn't as funny as "The Gold Rush".
LET ME SUM UP...
An interesting Chaplin film that I think is more a clever commentary on industry and the Depression than it is a funny movie. Some good scenes, but otherwise, this seemed a bit too mediocre for me.
MY RATING: 5/10
TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 82
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