Modern Times (1936)

“Buck up – never say die. We’ll get along. ” – A Factory Worker

Number of Times Seen – 2 (26 Apr 2009 and 5 Feb 2015)

Brief Synopsis – The tramp must find a way to support himself and his love in an ever changing world due to new technologies

My Take on it – Charlie Chaplin was a genius both in comedy and in his ability to satirize society.

This movie is one of his best films and even watching it close to 80 years after it was filmed it still resonates both from a humorous perspective and from a comment on society at the time.

Chaplin knew that due to changes in technology, he would eventually need to stop making silent movies, but he chose to first make his final silent film a satire of the very isuue at hand; technological advsnces and how they effect society as a whole.

This entire movie is extremely funny, but the best scenes are the ones in the factory at the beginning. The mere thought that after hours of making the same movements over and over the body would continue to make those motions always has me in stitches.

I love how he chose to use sound in the movie and even voices, but only via technology and not directly from the actors. This makes these scenes even more poignant in showing how technology can change everything.

Bottom Line – Great Chaplin comedy that said so much about society and changes in filmmaking due to the advances in technology. The factory scenes are hilarious. Highly recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Discounting later parodies and novelty films, this was the last major American film to make use of silent film conventions such as title cards for dialogue. The very last dialogue title card of this film (and thus, it can be said, the entire silent era) belongs to The Tramp, who says “Buck up – never say die! We’ll get along.”  (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy

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