Review of Modern Times (1936) by Filipeneto — 15 Mar 2020

The swan song for silent cinema.

This is one of the most famous and remarkable films by Charlie Chaplin, where his famous character, the Vagabundo (who in Portugal became famous as "Charlô", derived from the actor's name) faces the difficulties of the American Depression and the rise of socialism and unionism. Later, moreover, Chaplin will be heavily attacked by the government on charges of being a communist sympathizer.

I liked the film, and its story full of hope and good humor, but also full of sharp criticisms of the labor system, unbridled capitalism and the lack of social support for those in need. Chaplin is excellent, but Paulette Goddard is not. In addition to looking old for the role, she doesn't fit well with Chaplin. But he easily overcomes that and completely dominates the film, to the point of overshadowing the actress and everything else with her antics and acrobatics.

Technically, the film is very well done and very elegant. It is probably one of the last classic silent films, since when it came out the spoken cinema was about ten years old and silent cinema was clearly doomed to disappear.