The Tramp struggles to live in
America’s modern industrial society in which industry is put ahead of workers.
Yet, there may be a chance for him after he meets a young homeless woman.
Modern Times is auteur Charles Chaplin’s
greatest masterpiece and among the very best silent films of all-time (along
with Sunrise,
The Passion of Joan
of Arc, Man
with a Movie Camera, and Chaplin’s City Lights). Chaplin
also scored and edited the film, and he worked with cinematographers Ira H. Morgan
and Roland
Totheroh as well as production designer Charles D. Hall
– his usual collaborators.
As usual, Chaplin also stars in
the film as The Tramp. His then wife Paulette Goddard
co-stars.
Modern Times is both Chaplin’s
funniest and most moving film. It also features a strong political view (much
like The
Great Dictator), rallying for the common man during the Great Depression
and against modern society and the brutality of the machine age. The film was
Chaplin’s last silent film, made at a time when all of Hollywood had already
switched over to talkies. Even so, Modern Times was hugely successful. Chaplin’s
Tramp films all wonderfully blend slapstick comedy with deeper emotional
resonance. Here, Chaplin creates what is in many ways a heartbreaking narrative
about the dire struggle of the average American desperately trying to find
employment as well as maintain their humanity. He juxtaposes those grand social
statements against the sheer excitement and joy of his hysterical antics (I personally
love the roller skates scene the most). This is a must-see for every film fan.
Trailer: Here
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