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There once was a time when films could not be digitally enhanced. It was an era without special effects, without Technicolor, and without sound. Before you think that no one should have to suffer through watching one of these films from the cave man era of cinema, think again. Standing at the top of this time is the greatest comedian in film history--a man who actually ranks as one of film's greatest actors, directors, screenwriters, and musical composers all in one--Charlie Chaplin.
Modern Times is his greatest achievement, though some may argue that City Lights would occupy that spot. With this film Chaplin makes a more pointed political statement, but disguises it through his incomparable comedy.
Modern Times satirizes the Industrial Age from the opening shots that visually compare factory workers to sheep, to a scene with the factory president hard at work with jigsaw puzzles and comics, to scenes that show the Little Tramp (Chaplin) performing mindless assembly line duties, to a classic scene that shows the Tramp getting caught up in the wheels of the machinery itself, and to his battles with unemployment during the Depression. But the scenes that most will remember are the hilarious physical ones.
Among favorites:
1. The impractical "feeding machine" that goes berserk when Chaplin"volunteers" to test it.
2. The tramp's breakdown where he chases after the women who wear large buttons.
3. The tramp's arrest for his role in picking up the red construction flag and ending up as the apparent leader of the worker's union.
4. The skating sequence in the department store with Chaplin performing his own stunt work.
5. The morning dip into the creek.
6. Chaplin's performance as a waiter where he attempts to serve a duck to an impatient customer in a crowded restaurant.
Other great scenes are scattered throughout one of the most enjoyable 90 minutes of film that you will ever see, and much of the reason that they are so funny is due to Chaplin's impeccable timing and his subtle gestures. You simply have to watch his priceless facial expressions to catch the humor. No other actor ever expressed his dislike for uptight authoritarian characters or used his facial expressions (especially his eyes) as effectively. Despite getting by most audiences opposed to his left wing politics, Modern Times is one of the main reasons that J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI put Chaplin under surveillance and eventually conspired to oust him from the United States.
Modern Times also demonstrates a great deal of heart, with Paulette Goddard playing an orphaned gamin without a home. Chaplin takes an interest in her, protects her, dreams about the American dream with her, and establishes a budding romance. The Tramp has fallen for other girls in other films, only to lose them by the final reel. Perhaps this one will be different, so stay through the end and the walk into the sunrise to see. The on-screen chemistry in this 1936 film is palpable--Chaplin did marry Goddard in 1936. She would later star in The Great Dictator before their 1942 divorce.
Chaplin's legendary perfectionism is evident here; perhaps easiest to realize when you listen to the musical score that he composed. The music remarkably matches every movement so perfectly that the film could nearly be classified as an operetta. The varied moods are amplified with musical parallels to Gershwin and Puccini in places while others use a solo tenor saxophone to support the comedy.
Another way to look at Modern Times is in context with the conflict that Chaplin was having with the changing technology of film. Chaplin, the unsurpassed master of the silent era when everything had to be communicated visually, was none too pleased with the coming of the sound era, and this film marks the transition between the two eras. In fact, this silent film is notable for containing a few actual sounds, and the Little Tramp sings near the end of the film for the first time.
This nearly perfect comedy continues to hold up over 60 years after its creation. I used to show Modern Times to my high school students, many of whom had never ever seen a silent film or a black and white film for that matter. What a joy it was to see them roaring with laughter and being mesmerized by Chaplin's genius. Invariably they would ask if I had any other Chaplin films to show them, clearly demonstrating his station as the greatest filmmaker of the early era. Seventy years past his great silent era, Chaplin still continues to overcome hostile and indifferent audiences! |
