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Modern Times
Reviewed by Vittorio J. Carli for Reel Movie Critic
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Cast
Charlie Chaplin	Factory Worker
Paulette Goddard	Gamine
Henry Bergman	Café Worker
Directed, produced and written by Charles Chaplin. A comedy. Unrated. Kino International. Running time: 87 minutes.

"Modern Times" is a classic comedy that was made by the brilliant director/actor/composer/comedian, Charlie Chaplin. It expertly combines tragic elements with social commentary and big laughs.

The film is significant for many reasons. It marks the last ever appearance of the "Little Tramp," and it's also one of Chaplin's first ever sound films.

Chaplin starred in many classic shorts in the 1920's such as "The Ring" and "The Immigrant" and "The Pawnbroker."

He later made a string of back to back full length masterpieces including "The Gold Rush," "City Lights," and "Modern Times."

"Modern Times" always retains its comic tone, yet it touches upon a number of serious social issues such as poverty, joblessness, the gap between the rich and the poor, alienation caused by automation or industrialization, and anti communist paranoia.

The film has been lovingly restored in order to bring back the original contrast that has been worn by time. The restored version had a successful premier at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

The film takes place during The Great Depression and it reflects the tragic economic circumstances. Chaplin plays an assembly line worker in a futuristic factory. He is basically reprising his little tramp role but the character is billed in the credits as "a factory worker."

The owners have complete disdain for the employees and they even try out a machine that feeds workers so they don't have to get a lunch break. In one of the best sequences, the machine breaks down while it is being tested on the factory worker, and it completely ruins his clothing.

The sequence is Chaplin's response to the philosophy of Taylorism, which focused on arranging elements of production in order to maximize work output. Chaplin thought that technology should only be used if it benefited both the employers and the employees.

The factory worker is fired after a mental breakdown and drifts from job to job and jail to jail. In one sequence, he picks up a red flag and is jailed for being a communist leader when he tried to return it. The scene eerily foreshadowed Chaplin's real life and he was later banished from the US for his leftist political beliefs.

The other main character in the film is Gamine (Paulette Goddard in her most unforgettable role) She is an energetic street girl who has to resort to stealing in order to survive.

The factory worker and Gamine become a couple, despite the huge age difference. In one of the film's charming sequences, he imagines their dream house complete with a fruit tree and a cow that squirts milk on command. It contrasts greatly with the dangerous, run down shack they later occupy.

The film's comedic vignettes beautifully build up to the film's climax, which includes a great musical comedy number, performed by Chaplin. It's a perfect ending to a perfect film.

"Modern Times" should be mandatory viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in silent comedy. It may just be Chaplin's masterpiece.