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Rank the Chaplin silent (and near-silent) features

posted 19 years ago by ohio_jb
38 replies | jump to latest

For me they're as follows:

1: Modern Times
2: The Gold Rush
3: The Kid
4: The Circus
5: City Lights

I know some will think I'm nuts for listing "Lights" fifth, but I just don't like it very much; scenes like the boxing scene and all the business with the rich guy feel to me like they were just stuffed in to try to add some much needed humor...if Chaplin wanted to make a maudlin love story he should have just done that instead of trying to pawn it off as a comedy.

[–] jerkyshaw 19 years ago

1. The Gold Rush
2. City Lights
3. Modern Times

Those are my three favorites in order. I loved all of them. I didn't think Modern Times was as touching as the other two. That's why it's third, but still a great movie.

[–] tppaper 19 years ago

1. City Lights
2. The Gold Rush
3. The Kid
4. The Circus
5. Modern Times

I think at this point it's like arguing over which Picasso is better. Any of these movies could be soundly argued as the greatest. I guess it comes down to personal taste.

[–] qduvall 18 years ago

1: The Gold Rush
2: City Lights
3: The Kid
4: Modern Times
5: The Circus

I always thought that Dictator was his over rated one....

[–] norman4990 18 years ago

I'm listing all the Chaplin movies I've seen because M. Verdoux is such a good movie and ranks with his best silents. I put a break between 4 and 5 because The top 4 I absoulutely loved and the last 3 I didn't like as much.

1. The Gold Rush
2. City Lights
3. The Circus
4. Monsieur Verdoux

5. The Great Dictator
6. Modern Times
7. The Kid

[–] Jamie170 9 years ago

1. The Circus (my all time favourite)
2. The Gold Rush (I watch this every xmas day, kind of a tradition)
3. Modern Times (the first film of his I ever saw)
4. City Lights
5. The Kid

[–] Foot_Freakin_Master 18 years ago

What can I say. I am relatively new to Chaplin. Pardon my Ignorance. I have not seen The Gold Rush, The Cirus, etc. I have only seen City Lights, Modern Times, The Kid. I loved them.

Modern Tims
City Lights
The Kid

Waiting to add more.

I thought The Kid was so moving. City Lights a wonderful film. For me, maybe Modern Tims was my favorite. Great use of comedy to reflect on life. Pluse it had serious scenes. Paulette was enchanting.

[–] aintnoparade 18 years ago

1. The Gold Rush (the first one I saw an still my favourite)
2. Modern Times (I love the ending. Always makes me smile)
3. The Kid (the Kid playing the Kid is hilarious)
4. City LIghts (sad and beuatiful and funny too)
5. the Circus (underappreciated, even by me)

[–] clclouse 18 years ago

1. The Kid
2. City Lights- the ending makes me cry
3. Modern Times- also a very good ending, not to mention the song "Smile"
4. The Gold Rush
5. Limelight- I know, I know, it's not a silent and it is too long, but I love the story between Calvero and Terry the ballerina, and his death scene is so sad
6. Chaplin- I have to throw this in, it could have been a much better movie but I love the part where Chaplin is at the Oscars. I also love the music.

[–] FinnurE 18 years ago

Modern Times
City Lights
The Circus
The Gold Rush

I have yet to see The Kid, I'll probably see it one of these days.

[–] PTA-fan 18 years ago

The Gold Rush
Modern Times
The Circus
The Kid
City Lights

My top 20:
http://www.ymdb.com/tyler-l/l28735_ukuk.html

[–] nocomputer1962 18 years ago

Modern Times
The Gold Rush
City Lights (if only the whole movie were as perfect as that final scene!)
The Circus
The Kid
Distant Sixth place..... A Woman of Paris

[–] FizzyGillespie 18 years ago

City Lights (one of my all-time favorite endings)
The Gold Rush (funny and beautiful)
Modern Times (brilliant, biting social commentary)
The Kid (if for no other reason, young Uncle Fester)
The Great Dictator
The Circus (pretty standard)

And the "talkies"...

Monsieur Verdoux
A King in New York
Limelight (pretty weak considering the talent involved)

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] filmnoirman12345 18 years ago

1 modern times
2 the circus
3 city lights
4 the kid
5 the gold rush

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] AndreiBergman 17 years ago

Wow. This is so tough to do. I know for a fact that the top 3 are among my 30 favorite films.

1. City Lights
2. Modern Times
3. The Gold Rush
4. The Kid
5. The Circus
6. A Woman of Paris (he directed it)

As far as the talkies go, I'd put The Great Dictator after The Gold Rush, and then Monsieur Verdoux, Limelight and A King in New York after The Circus.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] calvindyson 17 years ago

Seen as I love a few of Chaplins sound features, I'm going to list all of his features (that I've seen) in order of preference:

1. The Great Dictator
2. Modern Times
3. Gold Rush
4. A King In New York
5. The Kid
6. Monsieur Veroux
7. The Circus

8. City Lights
9. Limelight

The reason I left a gap in between 7 and 8, was I consider the top 7 to be some of my favorite films ever, whereas City Lights and particularly Limelight I've never really been too fond of.

Say Goodnight to the folks Gracie!

[–] v_goggo 17 years ago

1. Modern Times
2. City Lights
3. The Gold Rush
4. The Circus
5. The Great Dictator

I never really cared for Monsieur Verdoux, The Kid, and Limelight. Monsieur Verdoux has a few good moments in it, but it's pretty heavy handed at times. The Kid is too sentimental for my taste. And Limelight is really, really melodramatic. The scene in which Claire Bloom screams, "I'M WALKING! I'M WALKING!" is pretty bad.

[–] ccewilliams 17 years ago

I loved them all but to put them in order it would have to be this:

6.The Great Dictator
5.The Kid
4.The Circus
3.Modern Times
2.The Gold Rush
1.City Lights

I just watched The Circus today and loved it but it's not as good as Modern Times, City Lights or The Gold Rush. The Gold Rush was my first Chaplin.
City Lights had the most beautiful scene in film history(The End)and in my top ten movies of all time. The Great Dictator's last speech was a very close second for the most beautiful/memorable scene in film history. Modern Times was genius and definately a memorable film. The Kid was amazing. Of Chaplin's later flicks I would say Limelight was well made but I never really cared for it. I have yet to see Monsieur Verdoux.