8.5/10
173,476
236 user 130 critic

Modern Times (1936)

G | | Comedy, Drama, Family | 25 February 1936 (USA)
Modern Times Poster
The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.

Director:

(as Charlie Chaplin)

Writer:

(as Charlie Chaplin)

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
96
Reviews
Popularity
3,854 ( 5)

Watch Now

From $4.99 (SD) on Prime Video

ON DISC
Top Rated Movies #38 | 4 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

Photos

See all 95 photos »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 










◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

0 Next »
The Gold Rush (1925)
Adventure | Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.2/10 X  

A prospector goes to the Klondike in search of gold and finds it and more.

Director: Charles Chaplin
Stars: Charles Chaplin, Mack Swain, Tom Murray
0 Next »
The Kid (1921)
Comedy | Drama | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X  

The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy.

Director: Charles Chaplin
Stars: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan
0 Next »
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Drama | Family | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.6/10 X  

An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.

Director: Frank Capra
Stars: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
0 Next »
Spirited Away (2001)
Animation | Adventure | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.6/10 X  

During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.

Directors: Hayao Miyazaki, Kirk Wise
Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino
0 Next »
The Lion King (1994)
Animation | Adventure | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.5/10 X  

A Lion cub crown prince is tricked by a treacherous uncle into thinking he caused his father's death and flees into exile in despair, only to learn in adulthood his identity and his responsibilities.

Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Stars: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones
0 Next »
WALL·E (2008)
Animation | Adventure | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.4/10 X  

In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

Director: Andrew Stanton
Stars: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin
0 Next »
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Adventure | Family | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

Dorothy Gale is swept away from a farm in Kansas to a magical land of Oz in a tornado and embarks on a quest with her new friends to see the Wizard who can help her return home in Kansas and help her friends as well.

Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and 3 more credits »
Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger
0 Next »
Toy Story (1995)
Animation | Adventure | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X  

A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's room.

Director: John Lasseter
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles
0 Next »
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Animation | Adventure | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X  

The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.

Director: Lee Unkrich
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
A Factory Worker (as Charlie Chaplin)
...
Henry Bergman ...
Tiny Sandford ...
Big Bill (as Stanley Sandford)
...
...
Burglar
...
Gamin's Father
...
...
Prison Cellmate (as Dick Alexander)
Cecil Reynolds ...
Minister
...
Minister's Wife (as Myra McKinney)
...
J. Widdecombe Billows (as Murdoch McQuarrie)
...
Juvenile Officer
...
Sheriff Couler (as Ed Le Sainte)
...
Cafe Head Waiter
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Chaplin's last 'silent' film, filled with sound effects, was made when everyone else was making talkies. Charlie turns against modern society, the machine age, (The use of sound in films ?) and progress. Firstly we see him frantically trying to keep up with a production line, tightening bolts. He is selected for an experiment with an automatic feeding machine, but various mishaps leads his boss to believe he has gone mad, and Charlie is sent to a mental hospital - When he gets out, he is mistaken for a communist while waving a red flag, sent to jail, foils a jailbreak, and is let out again. We follow Charlie through many more escapades before the film is out. Written by Colin Tinto <cst@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

actor director writer | music score composed by director | the little tramp character | national film registry | afi | See All (74) »

Taglines:

He stands alone as the greatest entertainer of modern times! No one on earth can make you laugh as heartily or touch your heart as deeply...the whole world laughs, cries and thrills to his priceless genius! See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

25 February 1936 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Masses  »

Filming Locations:

 »
Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,507, 9 January 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$163,245, 24 October 2004
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Noiseless Recording Sound System)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charles Chaplin wanted critics to see the film with a general audience, so there were no previews and no advance screenings. See more »

Goofs

(at around 33 mins) During the visit of the Minister in jail, Charlie sits next to the Minister's wife and they make funny noises. The distance between them varies between shots. See more »

Quotes

President of the Electro Steel Corp.: [first lines]
President of the Electro Steel Corp.: Section 5, speed her up, 401.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Lørdagshjørnet: Gene Wilder (1978) See more »

Soundtracks

Je cherche après Titine
(1917) (uncredited)
Music by Léo Daniderff
Publishers: Bertal-Mouda & Ronn
Performed by Charles Chaplin
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a gamin?
See more »

User Reviews

 
As relevant today as it was then - and still very funny
17 December 2013 | by – See all my reviews

Part satire, part slapstick comedy, part melodrama; the great pioneer of film, Charles Chaplin, has created his own monument with this film. At the same time, 'Modern Times' was Chaplin's last goodbye to the era of silent film - which, remarkably, had already ended almost a decade earlier.

After nearly 80 years, this screen marvel still makes me laugh, cry - and think about the ongoing automatization of practically every trivial little thing in our lives. Modern times, indeed.

To me, this film is as entertaining and funny today as I imagine it was then, and it's certainly as relevant as it was then.

The tramp still rules. My vote: 9 out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/
65 of 69 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 236 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page