Review of Modern Times (1936) by Benjamin Z — 11 Dec 2010

One of the greatest triumph of Charles Chaplin! To make another silent film,this time in 1936,nearly a decade after the advent of sound,five years after "City Lights",appeared downright perverse. But he did it,again! His last. And with it,he bid a fond farewell to the silent era,and to the character who had made him the most famous man in the world,the Little Tramp! In "Modern Times" the Tramp find himself one of the millions trying to cope in a modern world that is dominated by machines. Chaplin attack the machine age in inimitable fashion,with sharp pokes at other social ills and the struggle of modern-day survival. He is join by the Gamine who becomes his partner in life,play by far the most beautiful woman he ever put in a movie,Paulette Goddard,who is a revelation in the role. In a tattered dress and innocent of makeup,she nevertheless radiates sensuality as well as an underlying strength and stubborness. Consistently hilarious,and unforgettable! Final shot is among Chaplin's most famous and most poignant.With the Tramp and the girl disappearing,walking off hand in hand down the endless road to the theme "Smile",composed by Chaplin himself.

"Modern Times" shows Chaplin still at his unrivaled peak as a creator of visual comedy.The film survives no less as a commentary on human survival in the industrial,economic,and social circumstances of the 20th-and perhaps the 21th-century.