Review of Modern Times (1936) by Byron B — 22 Oct 2013

A masterpiece! I love the iconic image of Chaplin being run through the gears. The design of the factory was obviously inspired by Metropolis. Modern Times is mostly silent with sound effects, voices coming through electrical apparatus, and Chaplin's Little Tramp singing a gibberish song toward the end. Talkies had existed for almost a decade, yet Chaplin was hesitant to record sound with his pantomime. Chaplin was exploring the automation of the Ford assembly lines, the labor unrest, hunger, and homelessness of the Depression, and the rebellious spirit necessary to keep on going despite these circumstances. Lest that sound too serious, there are many hilarious scenes including roller skating around a department store, trying to serve roast duck to an aggravated diner in a dance hall, and dreaming of a domestic paradise with a cow and fruit trees right within reach. The gorgeous Paulette Goddard plays a gamin, which means a street urchin. Chaplin has her lovingly photographed in several different costumes as a near equal in his adventures.

There are several interesting special features on The Chaplin Collection DVD. One is a French documentary with the Dardenne brothers discussing the meaning behind this creation of Chaplin's and some of the ideas Chaplin formed during his life travels. They point out the childlike actions of the Tramp and the Gamin as opposed to the duty felt by most adults. The one brother points out that the Tramp doesn't fit anywhere but the music hall, that Chaplin is like the black sheep in the first shot following the credits. Most people think of this comedy as an illustration of the dehumanization of machinery. It reminds me of Tiffany Shlain's documentary Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology that I saw a couple years ago. She started the project planning to disconnect from her cell phone and the internet to show how she could reestablish real human relationships in her life. She had recently lost her father, and as she explored her father's work, she discovered a surprising interconnectedness that people share that can be strengthened by humanity's technology. It is debatable how much of a positive impact our online social networks have in our lives, but Tiffany suggests and I agree that with today's tech, there is a return to the importance of human connections. Today apps and bits of programming can eliminate the work that individuals used to do, in the same way that the assembly lines did during Chaplin' lifetime in the early 20th century. Yet, Chaplin gets it right by focusing not on the people in society that have all the material goods they could want, but on those from the periphery of society who struggle to get by with a smile on their face, like The Little Tramp.