A Nous la Liberte

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Louisa E The plot didn't grab me. It was an exciting concept, but the result was not very impactful. I agree with the points it made about working in factories. It highlights well that people thought robots could give people more leisure time, and they did in some ways (mainly housework!). Still, it also meant companies could employ fewer people and pay less instead of giving people a better quality of life and employment. I'm not a slapstick comedy fan, which is why I think I've scored it so low. Charlie Chaplin does it well - this fell flat for me.The acting was great. I found a lot of movie actors from the last year pretty hammy, so it was refreshing to see some better performances. But for all that, the characters weren't particularly taxed either! The score was fantastic and a highlight of this movie. The cinematography was lovely, and the set design was clean and robotic where it needed to be. 6.4/10 Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/08/23 Full Review james w Tremendously entertaining. Production is elegant, superb. The prisoners' tale moves along swiftly and buoyantly. Both amusing and thought provoking. The current (1932) reviews didn't quite know what to make of it. Recommended as an important joyful effort in the history of cinema. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review William L À Nous la Liberté is many things - socially conscious, technically innovative for the genre, and influential in its time - but one thing it is not is particularly funny. Often, you might forget that the film that you're watching is intended to be a comedy, as the film instead opts for romance or suspense subplots that contrast the overarching genre; Chaplin's Modern Times explored similar parallels between society's treatment of labor and imprisionment, but did so in a much more elegant, visually creative, and timeless way (even if it was legally accused of infringement on the concept). However, the climactic scene in which supposedly refined upper-class industrialists scramble for currency scattered in the wind is pretty on-the-nose. There is a peculiarly French treatment of the idea of liberty in À Nous la Liberté that does make up for some of its misses, a surprisingly sincere exploration of what it means to be free, with Cordy's Louis proceeding from literal prison and forced labor, to adherence to the expectations of society that ultimately come back to him despite his subseuent reformation. I still have to say that I prefer Chaplin's takes on the early 'comedy with a mesage' film style. (3.5/5) Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/21 Full Review edward r Seriously overrated and painful to watch, some good bits which warrant a 1 star rating. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. A groundbreaking film that takes on all the issues of labor, automation and class. This is all done with tongue and cheek. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member At first, it's a prison flick with all the inmates singing about the freedom they don't have. We see two of them plot their escape - but only one of them makes it. He manages to work himself from street busker to factory owner in a quick montage. His factory makes phonographs. When his old cellmate appears working on the assembly line (later ripped off by Chaplin, although he settled the lawsuit without admitting it), the boss thinks he is about to be blackmailed. But instead, his friend just wants help winning the girl of his affections. It doesn't work and soon a gang of crooks really do appear to blackmail the boss. In a twist that might only work in the France of the time, he abruptly donates his factory to the workers, let's his money blow away in the wind, and hits the road as a tramp with his friend. So, this makes it something of an anti-capitalist piece but blink and you could miss it. Renoir's The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936) hits the nail more squarely on the head. But Rene Clair's earlier film is an early talkie that still contains some of the lyricism and wowing art direction of the silents but I think I prefer his Le Million (also 1931). Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews

A Nous la Liberte

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