Moxie Flix: Modern Times (1936)
The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman. (G, 87 min.)
Showtimes
Saturday, April 13, 2024
12:00 PM
These FREE screenings are part of MOXIE FLIX, a monthly series focusing on essential films for kids to see before they turn 13. This series was made possible by a grant from the Missouri Arts Council and the Springfield Regional Arts Council.
Synopsis: Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin’s last outing as the Little Tramp, puts the iconic character to work as a giddily inept factory employee who becomes smitten with a gorgeous gamine (Paulette Goddard). With its barrage of unforgettable gags and sly commentary on class struggle during the Great Depression, Modern Times—though made almost a decade into the talkie era and containing moments of sound (even song!)—is a timeless showcase of Chaplin’s untouchable genius as a director of silent comedy. [Criterion]
Starring: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman
Director: Charles Chaplin
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance
A thorough, spoiler-filled Parent’s Guide can be found here.
"Families will cherish Chaplin's silent slapstick."
— Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
"One of the many remarkable things about Charlie Chaplin is that his films continue to hold up, to attract and delight audiences."
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"It is sufficient to say that Chaplin is the king of pantomime artists, that this picture is one of his best and that it whets the appetite for more Chaplin films."
— Robert Randol, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
"The opening sequence in Chaplin's second Depression masterpiece, of the Tramp on the assembly line, is possibly his greatest slapstick encounter with the 20th century."
— Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
"Several high spots stand out as notable examples of Chaplin's expert timing of slapstick burlesque, scenes that are apt to make the spectator shed tears from the strain of laughter."
— Ella H. McCormick, Detroit Free Press
"In many ways Modern Times is old-fashioned film comedy, but it is the kind of comedy which has made millions of people laugh all over the world and which has won Mr. Chaplin the great affection and love."
— Marjory Adams, Boston Globe
"Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin's comedy masterpiece about the perils of the Machine Age and the Great Depression, is one of his best-loved movies, a true classic of sublime slapstick, sentimentality and poetic political protest."
— Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Support for the Moxie
Become A Member
