Modern Times: Evade Against the Machine

United Artists
1936
Leave it to an old silent film to be one of the best comedic commentaries to reflect the economy of the past and yes, even the present economy. Like the wheel that fits just right, Modern Times may be Charlie Chapin’s tour de force. Made amidst the Great Depression, it’s fascinating to see just how similar life can be in any age when suffocated by society. And if history repeats itself, because I believe in Back to the Future time-logic, more comedies of this nature should be expected in the near future.

The major conflict of the story is a mix of “man vs. man” or “man vs. machine” depending on which way you look at it. These may be symbolically referring to the same entity of government or the political power that resides over the underprivileged workforce. So conflict against man is more appropriately conflict against “The Man,” to whom Chaplin most humorously, and even literally, “Sticks-it-to” by combating the struggles of unemployment, poverty, poor housing conditions, strikes, and even riots throughout the film. Conversely, the conflict against the machine would, in essence be Chaplin’s triumphant “Rage against the Machine.” This conflict is more literal, however, having actual machines in the movie with technical difficulties. I imagine if the same type of film were made today, it might have the main character bummed at his computer when his E*Trade accounts are losing money and he has to take a second job in blue-collar work since his retirement money is lost. Sounds like a Ben Stiller plotline if you ask me.

Another conflict “machine” was that Modern Times was made at a time in 1936, when “talkies” were all the rage. Chaplin’s early resistance to sound, in fact, helps this film’s impact. I like to call this phenomenon “Evade Against the Machine.” This film has some very minor dialogue, or jibberish, here and there as well as sound effects, yet it is completely a silent film. What’s intriguing about Modern Times, however, is that there are virtually no intertitles. Intertitles are those pesky little subtitles that appear in between the action to let the audience know what is being said between the characters. But that’s how finely executed this silent film is. The first half-hour of Wall-E comes to mind. You can clearly follow all the details of the story with zero dialogue. Personally, I don’t like intertitles because they annoyingly break up the action and constantly remind the viewer that they are watching a “silent film.” This is not the case with Modern Times. It was also shot at 24 frames per second, so it doesn’t have that slightly-too-quick movement that is also typical of many silent films. But that is why Chaplin was great at what he did, being responsible for producing, directing, writing, and starring in this film.

It’s the story of a man who loses his industrial job by means of new technology, confusion, and economic means, only to be confused as a Communist leader, arrested, escape to find employment as a nightclub singer, all the while finding love and more importantly, hope. Paulette Goddard, Chaplin’s actual wife at the time, costars and steals nearly every scene she’s in. Even though most of the humor is quite goofy, there is much serious and subtle humor under the surface of the laughs. It is here that you can truly see the talent of Chaplin’s physical comedy. The subtitle to Modern Times displayed in the opening credits is “A story of industry, of individual enterprise ~ humanity crusading in the pursuit of happiness.” You have to remember the time it was made. These are the people who aptly named the ice cream flavor Rocky Road to reflect the tough times. Speaking of which, maybe I should pick up some on the way home from work.

If you haven’t seen any of Chaplin’s work before, or silent films in general, this is one of the best to start with. It’s the last appearance of Chaplin’s most memorable character, The Tramp, a persona he often used in movies and which also became his unforgettable trademark look. It’s an extremely entertaining film and every sequence is very fun to watch. I know I might like more old movies than the next person, so I try to be very choosy when it comes to recommending “oldies but goodies” that should be evaded. Chaplin’s work is emotionally deeper than the likes of Laurel and Hardy and is less stunt-focused than Buster Keaton’s films, even though they have great material as well. Modern Times, in particular, is just a great film. It’s so old and that may be one reason why it feels so refreshingly different and new from anything in theaters today. It’s almost like it was from another planet that uses a whole new repertoire of nonverbal communication. It’s really a type of cinema that has been long forgotten: raw stunts, elegant acting, and that quirky wit. Another Chaplin film that reflects the modern world that deserves an honorable mention is The Great Dictator. Check out his elegant globe conquering Hitler-esque persona here. As always, feel free to add Modern Times to your Netflix or Blockbuster queue.

There’s your problem, right there.