Modern Times ~ Charlie Chaplin (1936)
It was 1936. Charlie Chaplin, arguably the most famous man in the world and still riding high from the huge success of City Lights in 1931, toured the world, met with luminaries from Churchill to Ghandi, saw much that disturbed and worried him, and set about making his most politically aware film to date. Several years in the planning, he wanted to show how the lowly worker was being exploited by the wealthy, and how modern technology and industrialization was exacerbating this problem.
Chaplin finally had come to the realization that the silent era was a thing of the past, and with it his long-famous character, The Tramp. Modern Times is considered by some the final achievement of the silent era, and an important transitional work for Chaplin. It's the last we see of The Tramp, and the first time he has a worthy female ally - Paulette Goddard, who was in a years-long relationship with Charlie - who is given much adoring screen time in the film. Chaplin had finally found an ideal partner for The Tramp.
Not only was Modern Times filled with commentary on the plight of workers, some writers consider it the very first film to actively use comedy as a means to address political issues. Chaplin would continue in this vein the rest of his career, although with less than successful results. He became a little too strident, a bit too didactic later in life, thus reducing the effectiveness of his films and his message. He was an outspoken leftist who at one point was even banned from returning to the U.S.for several years.
Modern Times has many famous scenes. The opening factory section with its amazing timing and athleticism features the famous symbolism of the worker-caught-in-the-cog-of-the-machine set piece. One writer has even commented that the long distinguished career of the great Jacques Tati could almost be totally traced to the influence of this masterful scene. The factory conveyor belt scene was a major influence on the famous Lucille Ball routine in I Love Lucy in the 1950s. The roller skating in the department store and the restaurant melee (again reminding me of the total anarchy of Tati's Playtime restaurant scene), are among the best examples of Chaplin's genius. And, this all leads up to Chaplin actually singing near the end of the film for the first time in his career. This was several years after the first sound films, and Chaplin finally joined this new trend. There is spoken dialogue in Modern Times, but it's always from some electronic source such as a recording or the radio rather than Chaplin.
I highly recommend the Criterion Blu-ray of Modern Times. Not only a pristine restoration of the film, it has a strong package of extras: a commentary, two visual essays on the making of the film, an interview with David Raskin who collaborated with Chaplin on the musical score (which includes a wonderful romantic theme that with the addition of lyrics became the now classic standard Smile, first recorded by Nat King Cole), a featurette on the visual and sound effects, two segments cut from the film, home movies of Chaplin and Goddard, and more. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of a Chaplin two-reeler from 1916, The Rink. Having never seen early Chaplin, I was amazed at how fully formed his style was at that point in his career. I was also impressed with the satisfying story arc developed in a mere 24 minute film. The Rink was perhaps chosen for addition to this Criterion package because it included a couple of concepts fleshed out further in Modern Times, notably the roller skating scenes, and the In/Out door gags in the restaurant kitchen. It's one of Criterion's better collections of supplements.
Despite the importance of the film, a few scenes were not as strong as others, and I actually felt the film ran a bit long. In comparison to City Lights this seemed like a series of good to excellent sketches with only the barest of plots holding them together. However, there is much genius here, and Modern Times is defintely one of Chaplin's masterpieces. The ending is touching and perfect, with The Tramp finally gaining a partner and walking with her into a sunset and a hopeful future. It was a perfect farewell to both the silent film era and one of its most enduring characters. A
Chaplin finally had come to the realization that the silent era was a thing of the past, and with it his long-famous character, The Tramp. Modern Times is considered by some the final achievement of the silent era, and an important transitional work for Chaplin. It's the last we see of The Tramp, and the first time he has a worthy female ally - Paulette Goddard, who was in a years-long relationship with Charlie - who is given much adoring screen time in the film. Chaplin had finally found an ideal partner for The Tramp.
Not only was Modern Times filled with commentary on the plight of workers, some writers consider it the very first film to actively use comedy as a means to address political issues. Chaplin would continue in this vein the rest of his career, although with less than successful results. He became a little too strident, a bit too didactic later in life, thus reducing the effectiveness of his films and his message. He was an outspoken leftist who at one point was even banned from returning to the U.S.for several years.
Modern Times has many famous scenes. The opening factory section with its amazing timing and athleticism features the famous symbolism of the worker-caught-in-the-cog-of-the-machine set piece. One writer has even commented that the long distinguished career of the great Jacques Tati could almost be totally traced to the influence of this masterful scene. The factory conveyor belt scene was a major influence on the famous Lucille Ball routine in I Love Lucy in the 1950s. The roller skating in the department store and the restaurant melee (again reminding me of the total anarchy of Tati's Playtime restaurant scene), are among the best examples of Chaplin's genius. And, this all leads up to Chaplin actually singing near the end of the film for the first time in his career. This was several years after the first sound films, and Chaplin finally joined this new trend. There is spoken dialogue in Modern Times, but it's always from some electronic source such as a recording or the radio rather than Chaplin.
I highly recommend the Criterion Blu-ray of Modern Times. Not only a pristine restoration of the film, it has a strong package of extras: a commentary, two visual essays on the making of the film, an interview with David Raskin who collaborated with Chaplin on the musical score (which includes a wonderful romantic theme that with the addition of lyrics became the now classic standard Smile, first recorded by Nat King Cole), a featurette on the visual and sound effects, two segments cut from the film, home movies of Chaplin and Goddard, and more. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of a Chaplin two-reeler from 1916, The Rink. Having never seen early Chaplin, I was amazed at how fully formed his style was at that point in his career. I was also impressed with the satisfying story arc developed in a mere 24 minute film. The Rink was perhaps chosen for addition to this Criterion package because it included a couple of concepts fleshed out further in Modern Times, notably the roller skating scenes, and the In/Out door gags in the restaurant kitchen. It's one of Criterion's better collections of supplements.
Despite the importance of the film, a few scenes were not as strong as others, and I actually felt the film ran a bit long. In comparison to City Lights this seemed like a series of good to excellent sketches with only the barest of plots holding them together. However, there is much genius here, and Modern Times is defintely one of Chaplin's masterpieces. The ending is touching and perfect, with The Tramp finally gaining a partner and walking with her into a sunset and a hopeful future. It was a perfect farewell to both the silent film era and one of its most enduring characters. A