'Gotta Dance?' Credit deserved where due and the fact that he would, as he did here, pay tribute to Astaire and Kelly earns Michael his, with commendable results. Soon enough found his inimitable signature style, as no breakthrough is possible in following others' footsteps (sorry). Shame though, that there would be no occasion to give us further performances such as this one. Excellent clip.

Sensational. Not all single takes but from camera placement considerations, certainly, rather from any inability on his part to perform the whole number. Look up again 'Begin the Beguine' on YouTube, with Eleanor Powell (a magnificant partner in er own right) for another sampling of this man's excellence. Will not go back on my aspiration at a young age to be an Astaire, before a Cooper a Grant or a Bogart, even. The incomparable need not be subject of, well, comparison. THANK YOU! How many "Agree"s is it that RIA allows? (What!? No fair)

A couple of other genial sequences in 'Modern Times': A warning banner with a red flag at the end falls off of a delivery truck. Unaware that a crowd of protesters is marching furiously behind him, civic-minded Charlie picks up the banner from off the street and waves it, so that the truck driver will take notice. Riot control police take Chaplin for the leader of the protest and a chase ensues. Also, Charlie roller-skating, blindfolded, at the department store. Wouldn't dream of spoiling this one moment for others!

Concur: "...a witty and intelligently made film...you simply can't miss this one." Can't miss several others, though. 'The Gold Rush,' as wittily and as intellligently made, is not to be slighted for laughter. With more sentiment than mere humor as here, I dare remark that 'City Lights' could be his best.

Perfectly reasonable to appreciate current improvements in CD technology. Thing is, don't know who, like me, would be inclined to even begin replacing my 900-plus collection of choice - for me - Jazz, classical, pop and rock which dates from the mid-1980s. Heck, I still often play certain favorite audio cassettes of long-unavailable Mozart or Bach from the Turnabout and Nonesuch labels ('member them?) and, further, when not yet restored to DVD (don't mention BLue-Ray, s'il vous plait) continue to enjoy laser discs (!!!?) for Windham Hill concerts and olden movies.

Good to know. Was not familiar until now through your suggestion of FLAC, from your post tonight. Thank you and will certainly seek out any info from my sons who probably are acquainted with it, as you are. If not, I'll find out on my own or else turn to you. Appreciate it. Can't get over how quickly technology evolves - your lifetime of virtually knowing the digital experience almost exclusively, for instance, etc.

The headphone thing is unfortunate, but there is in that regard the physical contact and also the deprivation of the natural ambience, as seems to be the case. Some great developments from Bose and others, Sennheisers in my case, from what I've read. Still, the illusion of the acoustics is not quite as realistic.

A 'helpful' comment no doubt. And yet...,

The sense of declining practicality of any medium such as that from compact discs should not dictate disregard of other elements. Old enough to recall and to continue to preserve my decades-old collection of long-play vinyls and acetates (what?), came to realize that LPs were deficient in handling and subject to physical deterioration from repeated use.

As of 1982, the not-indestructible but more user-convenient CDs were all that much more practical. And yet, compared to analog recordings, there was - even in the aural experience of CDs that you address - a tiring of the ears which still discourages me from playing more than a couple of these compact wonders at a time. Just me, perhaps, but the same condition would seem to apply to higher-compression-bound media, with CDs, obsolescence-bound and all, being the lesser culprit.