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Title: Modern Times (1936)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Charles Chaplin | ... | A Factory Worker (as Charlie Chaplin) | |
| Paulette Goddard | ... | A Gamin | |
 |
Henry Bergman | ... | Cafe Proprietor |
|
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Tiny Sandford | ... | Big Bill (as Stanley Sandford) |
| Chester Conklin | ... | Mechanic | |
| Hank Mann | ... | Burglar | |
| Stanley Blystone | ... | Gamin's Father | |
| Al Ernest Garcia | ... | President of the Electro Steel Corp. (as Allan Garcia) | |
| Richard Alexander | ... | Prison Cellmate (as Dick Alexander) | |
|
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Cecil Reynolds | ... | Minister |
| Mira McKinney | ... | Minister's Wife (as Myra McKinney) | |
| Murdock MacQuarrie | ... | J. Widdecombe Billows (as Murdoch McQuarrie) | |
| Wilfred Lucas | ... | Juvenile Officer | |
| Edward LeSaint | ... | Sheriff Couler (as Ed Le Sainte) | |
| Fred Malatesta | ... | Cafe Head Waiter | |
Chaplin's last 'silent' film, filled with sound effects, was made when everyone else was making talkies. Charlie turns against modern society, the machine age, (The use of sound in films ?) and progress. Firstly we see him frantically trying to keep up with a production line, tightening bolts. He is selected for an experiment with an automatic feeding machine, but various mishaps leads his boss to believe he has gone mad, and Charlie is sent to a mental hospital - When he gets out, he is mistaken for a communist while waving a red flag, sent to jail, foils a jailbreak, and is let out again. We follow Charlie through many more escapades before the film is out. Written by Colin Tinto <cst@imdb.com>
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"Modern Times" is in my top 5 films, and #2 in my list of favorite comedies. Charles Chaplin is arguably the most talented human being, nevermind film maker, that ever lived. I first saw this treasure about 8 years ago, and I watched it again recently to make sure that it really WAS funny, and that I had not given it too much praise because it was simply a Chaplin film. "Modern Times" passed my test with flying colors. I laughed hysterically from start to finish. Each and every scene is innovative, well thought out, and executed with the genius that only Chaplin possessed. Among my favorite scenes are the "automatic worker-feeding machine"; the jail scene in the cafeteria when The Tramp accidentally sprinkles cocaine on his food, thinking it is salt; and the roller skating scene in the department store. No special effects or computer animation, just pure, simple, genius.
The storyline in "Modern Times" is purposefully naive, a trick Chaplin used time and again to bring a profound humanitarian quality to his films. Watching this film is comparable to watching a Warner Bros. cartoon, which coming from me is a sincere compliment. The level of physical comedy in "Modern Times" is on par with the masterful short films of Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and others.
Finally, as was the case with most of his later films, "Modern Times" is a serious social commentary. Its message is as relevant today as it was more than sixty years ago when it was released. In fact, it is arguably even more relevant today, and unless the world changes drastically in the future it will continue to be. "Modern Times" is essentially the story of a simple but extremely kind man caught in the traps of industrialized society. The opening scene, which compares a crowd of workers boarding the subway to a flock of sheep, is Chaplin's warning against standardization, mechanization, and other facets of life which rob men and women of their individuality. Chaplin always tried to speak for the downtrodden, because despite his enormous success and wealth, he never forgot where he came from. In the end, "Modern Times" is a reminder that no matter how bad things are, you can still smile. Charles Chaplin has made more people smile than almost any other, and his legacy of love and laughter lives on in his films. Its up to us to keep his legacy alive.