Modern Times

Modern Times is a very important film directed by Charlie Chaplin, produced in 1936, and considered one of the cornerstones of American cinema history. Chaplin also wrote the script of the film and he plays the leading role. The other leading actress accompanying Chaplin is Paulette Goddard.

Modern Times is an extremely political film. He expresses his opposition to capitalism through the human-machine conflict. It is a marvel of editing that he shows the flock of sheep in the very first scene and then immediately moves on to the workers.

The machines in the factory are very big but the workers are very small. The system that oppresses workers is visually reflected in this way. There is a speed of the machine in the production line scene. In this movie, the human must adapt to the machine, not the machine to the human. I think the issue that Chaplin criticizes most is this incompatibility.

The fact that the production must proceed very quickly is emphasized by the scene with the food machine. Workers should spend little time on anything other than work, and should work continuously, even while eating. In the food machine scene, the human being is a part of the machine. Hunger is one of our most basic instincts, but this instinct is integrated into the machine. However, when a human is put into this machine, it breaks down. No one cares about the worker getting beaten and everyone is worried about how to fix the machine. It's a very ironic scene.

The prison scenes are also very striking. He feels very comfortable after saving the guards in the prison. When the day comes for him to be released from prison, he wants to stay. After leaving, he tries to come back by stealing food. Then he meets the leading female character of the movie. The woman becomes a source of motivation for him to hold on to life. Their common dream is to have a house because neither of them has a house.

In the store scene, we understand that not everyone in that period was actually starving, but there was also a middle-upper class because it was also a consumer society. At night, he takes the woman in and feeds her first. Again, there is an emphasis on hunger.

In the restaurant scene, they are expected to not only wait tables but also entertain customers. So they are asked to do two jobs at once. The scene where Chaplin sings with meaningless words is very beautiful because his movements are more important than the words and pantomime is at the forefront.

At the end of the movie, they hold hands with the female character and walk down a road. It has a happy ending. It ends full of hope. In my opinion, Modern Times is Chaplin's best film and a masterpiece that should definitely be watched.