| United Artists - Charlie Chaplin Productions, 1936 | Runtime: 87 minutes | Not Rated |
| Starring Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, Tiny Stanford, Chester Conklin | ||
| Written and Directed by Charlie Chaplin | ||
"Modern Times" is located at the crossroads where silent film meets the talking picture. Everyday dialogue is silent, but voices are heard from radios, phonographs, and videophones used by big industry heads. Chaplin uses this technique to symbolize his film's theme, which spotlights technology and the strain put onto the human spirit by factory work. Chaplin is successful in making a social comment, not to mention making "Modern Times" one of his funniest movies.
Chaplin is a nameless factory worker (it's said to be a steel mill) who works constantly on an assembly line, tightening a couple of bolts with wrenches all day. It doesn't take long for this work to drive him crazy, and so he starts running amok with his wrenches and causing all kinds of trouble. He is sent to the hospital and cured of a nervous breakdown, but he has lost his steel mill job. Before he can get himself a new job, however, he accidentally becomes the leader of a communist march and is thrown in jail.
In jail, the worker quite accidentally saves a couple of guards from being imprisoned by armed convicts. He is rewarded with a comfortable cell all to himself until the end of his sentence soon after. When he is told he is a free man, he is disappointed. He is so happy in his cell that he doesn't want to be free. He is given a note that says what a trustworthy man he is, which is supposed to help him get work. But when he acquires a job, he accidently lets a ship sail off from the harbor.
After failing at his new job, he runs into a young homeless girl (Paulette Goddard) who has just stolen a loaf of bread. Hoping to get himself back into prison, he claims that he stole the bread. However, eyewitnesses testify on behalf of the contrary, and so the girl is taken away. The worker then decides to steal a bunch of food and buy cigars for children to get himself arrested. This time he is successful, but when the girl escapes from the police, he follows her, perhaps just for the pleasure of company. The girl sticks with the worker through his failed jobs and unfortunate arrests. Eventually, they both land jobs at a cafe as singing waiters (we hear Chaplin sing here, but he is only speaking in jibberish, telling his story through gestures).
"Modern Times" ranks highest among the Chaplin films on the Internet Movie Database's Top 250 as voted on by IMDb users. It is also one of three Chaplin movies to make the American Film Institute's lists of the 100 funniest and 100 best American films. It may not quite be one of the funniest movies ever made (and certainly not one of the very best), but there are some very funny moments here. There aren't really any laugh-out-loud moments, although some may do so upon a first viewing (I think I did at least once or twice). However, there is enough humorous material in "Modern Times" to qualify as simply a very good comedy. One moment that continues to stand out in my mind is a scene where Chaplin mistakes cocaine (it is referred to as "nose powder") for a spice, pours it all over his food, and becomes quite exceptionally loopy after eating. The way Chaplin handles his behavior on this high is of comedic brilliance.
Chaplin's film also features its fair share of unusual and/or dangerous stunts. An easy example is the famous moment when Chaplin enters the inside of a conveyer belt and is moved about by a number of gears. A better one, though, I think, is a scene where Chaplin is roller-skating blindfolded on the fourth floor of a department store. The situation is made more dangerous by the fact that the fourth floor guard rail is not finished, and so he is skating dangerously close to a ledge. Again, Chaplin's grace in performing such a scene is amazing.
"Modern Times" isn't Chaplin's funniest film, but it is still a poingnant social satire. It offers a humorous yet thoughtful look at the impoverished and unlucky, as well as those who would rather be in prison than be out working in a factory, tightening bolts. It is not a film for with which to introduce oneself to the silent cinema. It contains sound effects and a little speech from radios and such which is not found in the earlier Chaplin films (except for 1931's wonderful "City Lights"). However, if you want to check out a good comedy, I recommend "Modern Times" wholeheartedly.
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