Day 4 - Modern Times

Modern Times (1936) directed by Charlie Chaplin

"What's the use of even trying?"
      "Buck up. Never say die. We'll get along."

The Jazz Singer, credited as being the first full length talkie, was released in 1927 marking the decline of the silent film era. Yet nine years later with Modern Times, here was Charlie Chaplin still doing what he did best, making us laugh, smile and cry, all without saying a single word. (Well, that's not entirely true, but more on that later.)  Having never seen a Charlie Chaplin film before I didn't know what to expect going in. Was the footage going to be all grainy and fuzzy like Birth of a Nation? As a comedy would it have anything poignant to say? Most importantly, would I be bored because it's so old school?! Thankfully, my mind was put at ease within the first five minutes when I found myself smiling at Chaplin's silly antics in rather sharp clarity.

Modern Times is a story of class struggle during the Great Depression and also speaks volumes of the ever changing role of technology on society. We are pointed to this immediately when the movie opens with The Tramp, Chaplin's most iconic character, on the assembly line tightening bolts at rapid pace. We never get an idea of what exactly he's helping to make, but that is the point, it is almost as if his work is meaningless anyways. I thought that this would be a silent film with no dialoge but almost immediately we get our first words of the movie with the factory boss ordering for "more speed in section five" over the intercom. What ensues is Chaplin in a mad dash to tighten the bolts even faster with Loony Toons-esque haste. Then several moments later, we hear spoken word again in a phonograph recording selling a feeding machine to force feed workers while still at the assembly line to increase productivity. The Tramp ends up being the poor sucker to test out the machine which malfunctions with him strapped to it. All this leads to a nervous breakdown which lands him in jail.

It is interesting to note that all the voices in Modern Times save for one scene are only heard through intercoms, phonographs and the radio, all technological mediums. The voice of the people are silenced while only machines can be heard. Maybe it is Chaplin's commentary on society's growing dependence on industry, the plight of the powerless underclass, or maybe he just knew that in the future we'd have movies with evil machines taking over the world. I'd like to think movies like The Terminator and The Matrix owe their creations to Chaplin.

Next we are introduced to a gamine recently orphaned, who rather than get taken away, runs away to the street. Played by Paulette Goddard with a magnetic smile and wonder filled eyes, the gamine finds herself in trouble and literally runs into The Tramp on the streets. Naturally they become quite taken with each other and spend the rest of the movie trying to live the life, in a series of episodic adventures.

Finally in the end, they find themselves on the street again, desolate, with the gamine asking, "What's the use of even trying?". The Tramp answers, "Buck up. Never say die. We'll get along," in a hopeful ending with the two walking hand in hand to their uncertain future.

So this was my first good look at Charlie Chaplin in action and I was immediately struck by his charisma. I could see what made him such a big star, he was a master of physical comedy and had a certain charm that transcended the screen making him a true legend. It is interesting to note that this was the very first movie that Chaplin's voice was heard on screen and the thus the last appearance of his famous Tramp character. Towards the end, Chaplin takes center stage where he sings in foreign gibberish with a magnificent voice. It was a way for Chaplin to prove that even in the ever growing demand for technological innovation, Chaplin and his Tramp was just as relevant as ever. Clearly, Chaplin could have been doing talkies much earlier but there was a certain appeal and innocent charm to the silent film that still stands today. No matter what medium or format, a good movie remains a good movie, and great movies stand the test of time, which Modern Times does.

Grade: A