Modern Times
1936 · Movie · G · 87 min · ★ 8.3 · 97% critics
A well-meaning, unlucky worker dreams of building a simple home with a young woman, but modern life keeps getting in the way. As jobs, authority figures, and fast-changing technology trip them up, the pair try to stick together and find dignity, stability, and a little happiness.
Also known as The Masses
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Streaming on HBO Max.
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Details
- Years
- 1936
- Release date
- 1936-02-05
- Language
- English
- Rated
- G
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Critic score
- 97/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.3/10 (4,087 votes)
- Box office
- $1,400,000
- Budget
- $1,500,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a sweet, funny story with sharp jabs at modern work life and a hopeful tone, especially if you liked City Lights or The Gold Rush; Not for you if you need nonstop dialogue or fast pacing.
Pros: warm charm; big laughs; timely social bite | Cons: some gags overlong; humor can feel repetitive; satire too obvious
Themes
- factory
- ambulance
- invention
- mental breakdown
- tramp
- great depression
- industrial revolution
- slapstick comedy
- automation
- jail
- hospital
- black and white
- +14 more
Awards & recognition
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Cast & crew
Charlie Chaplin
as The Tramp (A Factory Worker)
Paulette Goddard
as A Gamin
Henry Bergman
as Cafe Proprietor
Tiny Sandford
as Big Bill
Chester Conklin
as Mechanic
Hank Mann
as Burglar
Stanley Blystone
as Gamin's Father
Al Ernest Garcia
as President of the Electro Steel Corp.
Richard Alexander
as Prison Cellmate
- CR
Cecil Reynolds
as Minister
Directed by Charlie Chaplin