Sandler, Monica

It is ironic that a film titled Modern Times showcases an old fashioned film making technique. Film Forum just finished a several week retrospective featuring the Charlie Chaplin films Modern Times (1936) and City Lights (1931). As I sat in the theater watching the two classics, I couldn’t help but notice the role that sound had within the “films in pantomime.” Modern Times, specifically, is a hybrid of silent and sound cinema. The film utilizes sound and some dialogue in its gag sequences and to convey plot points. The film stars Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp in the midst of another new an exciting adventure: he deals with the hardships of working in a factory and having little money. The film’s topic resonated well with the millions of unemployed suffering during the great depression era but is still particularly relevant in today’s economic crisis; we are after all in the biggest recession since the great depression. Maybe audiences today could use some of the Tramp’s down on his luck charm and slap stick gags to help ease the pain we feel when the stock market drops another 100 points on a daily basis.

As I watched Modern Times in the theater I laughed out loud. Despite being made over 60s years ago the comedy remains hysterical and permanently resonates with audiences. The entire audience roared with laughter as well and it became apparent how timeless Times is despite being a silent film. I couldn’t help but think about how it was in fact made in the era of talkies. Sound film began to become the prominent form of film making in 1929. By 1936, when Times was made, a silent film was almost unheard of. Modern Times, however, does still utilize sound. The film begins by using both diagetic sound and silent acting. At the start, Chaplin’s Tramp does not speak but uses pantomime to convey his emotions and the plot line of the story. However, through out the first scenes in the factory the boss character frequently appears to speak to his workers. It is interesting to note that within these scenes it is only the authority figure who speaks. The boss character appears by screen and verbally tells his worker (Chaplin) to get back to work. Sound is also used to explain unusual plot points that might be confusing. This is seen when a company attempts to sell a machine that feeds the workers while they continue to do their job. Rather then showing a title card which explains that product, a voice over sets up the situation. As the storyline continues the film uses less and less spoken sound. This beginning with speaking then can be seen as a transition for viewers back into a mode for viewing a silent film. This format made watching Times all the more pleasant for a viewer today. The use of the sound at the beginning of the film helps transition the viewer into the silent pantomime format.

I think Modern Times continues to be engaging to audience today and was enjoyable as a silent film to audiences in the talkie era when it was first released because it is a slapstick comedy. This is a genre that centers on a series of gags that is tied together by a loose plotline. The spoken sound then sets up the situation for the film. The gags focus on physical humor where sound is no longer needed. Sound, however, does also play a large part in the film’s gags. The score accents the mood of the scene. Often ordinary piano or simple music compliments the tramps simple demeanor. When richer characters are around, however, a livelier orchestra plays. Within the gags, splattering sounds or sounds of things hitting things often correspond to the character’s movements. This is seen a scene were Chaplin is fighting off some robbers in a store where he is night watchman. The villains attempt to shoot at him and the viewer can hear both the sounds of the gun shots. These sounds, however, are apart of the musical score rather than recorded from the scene’s actions. This gives the feels that the score was recorded to match everything in the scene. The film also breaks from the silent storyline when it showcases musical numbers. These numbers in themselves are also gags. This is seen when Chaplin sings at a restaurant. Moments before going on he practices the number yet is totally silent. Yet when he is performing in front of the audience within the world of the film his voice is heard.

Times focuses on a theme of unemployment and poverty within industrial society. This is not an uncommon topic in Chaplin films, yet the films story seems more poignant when understood within the constraints of the 1930s Great Depression. Many Americans faced unemployment and extreme poverty because of the destroyed economy.  Times offers both a commentary on modern industrial life and an escape from it. This commentary is splotlighted in the opening scenes of the film. Literally speaking, Chaplin’s character is so over worked that he has a nervous break down. This remarks on unfair conditions in factories seen in the time period. At the same time Times brightens moods through gags that feature Chaplin going inside of machine and attempting to tighten a woman’s buttons that remind him of his job. The ultimate point of the film addresses how life has become too complicated by industrialism and how people are left with nothing. The film ends with literally that situation the female character is forced to flee. She ran away from child custody but is not granted any sort of resolution to her situation. I think the film continues to be effective because of Chaplin’s down on his luck tramp and the tone of desperation and poverty the film addresses. Today we are dealing with a similar set of economic circumstances as they were in the 1930s. The economy is down and many people are losing their jobs. Back in the 1930s Chaplin’s Tramp was a character that people who had lost everything could relate to. Thus his personality still spoke to audiences despite never verbally speaking.

The resolution to Times is a message that is inspiring in today’s age. The final shot of the film ends with the tramp walking down a street towards his next adventure. This is an ending scene in many of Chaplin’s earlier works. However, in Times he walks away with the runaway girl. They move on to the next adventure together. To viewers in the 1930s the film hearkened back towards a simpler time before the great depression. The silent soundtrack then compliments this nostalgia. It uses the film format of the 1920s, an era of prosperity. Yet at the same time, the film offers hope for the future and shows a difference both within the tramp, Chaplin’s other films, and the time period. As they walk together it is seen how no one can go through their sort of poverty alone. Chaplin found someone suffering as much as he was and he had to stay with her and help her. This raises the idea in times of hardship people need to stick together and help each other. When written out that notion sounds kind of cheesy but with Chaplin’s awkward charm and adorable demeanor this message found in the Modern Times still leaves viewers inspired.