1936
Well, this is embarrassing.
I gave a huge, tearful speech about how silent films are over and how thoroughly I enjoyed them. Meanwhile, I still had one left. You know, silent followers, you could have corrected me! You made me look like an idiot out there!
Anyway, I will justify it by saying that there were several spoken lines in this film including a song by the Tramp. I recently had a conversation with someone where I told them I hated Mr. Bean and Monty Python. She said "Aw, next you are going to say you don't think Charlie Chaplin is funny!" I shifted nervously in my seat and replied "No, I love him!" This is simply untrue; I don't think he is funny at all. This movie is particularly humorless. A lot of the gags are stolen from A Nous la Liberte. The jokes are really brain dead and cheap; in one, a bug flies in Chaplin's face so he is unable to continue working. HA!
Chaplin, just give it up. Silent films are no longer popular. The witty dialogue of films like The Thin Man is what makes movies funny and entertaining not pantomiming. Blah.
RATING: *----
Interesting Facts:
Number 78 in AFI's top 100 movies list. This list is flawed!!!
Wow, only the machines talk but the humans don't! What a comment on industrialization!
Available on YouTube:
Well, I disagree with you on this one. Let us just leave it at that. I also like Monty python.
ReplyDeleteI think every male likes Monty Python.
DeleteOn one level I disagree - this film is utter genius in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteOn another level I agree - I'm not sure that I really liked it and don't recall smiling once through it.
(Monty Python is brilliant but tough to sit down through too much of it at once. British people generally don't like Mr Bean and are mystified how funny the rest of the world finds it.)
I watched this recently. I had never seen a Charlie Chaplin film and wasn't particularly looking forward to it but i thought it was brilliant. When I say brilliant I don't mean that I loved watching it but I could appreciate it was great although I was surprised that I mostly enjoyed it. i wasn't exactly rolling around laughing but I did laugh a few times and the song at the end really sold it for me.
ReplyDeleteI have to watch some more of his films.
I don't like Mr. Bean either so I guess I am just a humorless monster. Ashley, I feel like a lot of films during this time fall under that category of "brilliant"
ReplyDeleteTrue...I am loving the 30s...not that I am doing anything in order but every time I watch one I think...yep...great again!
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