GOVT 490 Movie Review

The birth of the machine has been the catalyst for many great advances in society. But with all of the forward progress, there is something that impedes progress as well to the point of moving backward. The machine is both our strength and our downfall. Since its creation there has been an underlying struggle between the machine and mankind. And no one can communicate this better than the one and only Charlie Chaplin.
In 1936 Chaplin released this comedic film “Modern Times,” in which he portrays a factory worker who is the unluckiest opportunist there could ever be. One of the two most important modern inventions, a clock (the other is a gun) is featured in the background as the credits are displayed. The clock is an essential symbol in this film because it is a tool of measurement and the basis of factory life and production.
The goal in any factory is greater efficiency, greater production, and greater income in as little time as possible. Typically, machinery is the means to that end. Another interesting point about the factory is that much of its interior even resembles the inside of a clock with all of its gears, levers, and gadgets. Time is money and what goes on inside a factory is essentially clockwork.
As the film gets underway, a herd of sheep is displayed as a metaphor for the next image shown, which is a group of workers reporting for their shift. In the eyes of the factory leadership, the workers are like sheep in that they are all the same. As their piece work and production increases, so does the wealth that there will be for those in authority. The leadership of the factory is so concerned about production that cameras were installed in various locations throughout the factory, even the bathroom! In between reading the newspaper, working on a puzzle, and sipping a beverage brought to him by his secretary, the President of the factory company checks on the progress of the workers by camera.
While trying to make the most of his circumstances, Chaplin finds himself fleeting from one problematic situation to another, sometimes a conscious effort and sometimes not. More often than not, he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Throughout the film Chaplin is seeking to better his circumstances in the simplest way possible. And oddly enough, he seems the most content when he is away from machines, the factory, and the hustle and bustle of city life.
During one of Chaplin’s stays in jail, he helps foil an escape attempt gone wrong. As a result, Chaplin becomes a favorite inmate and is given his own cell, fully decorated, and even allowed to keep his cell door open. When his freedom is granted though, he asks to stay in jail a little while longer because “he is happy [there].” His basic needs are provided for in jail, unlike the harsh reality that awaits him beyond the jail walls.
Chaplin meets his match in Paulette, a young girl who has run from the law after being orphaned. Like Chaplin, she is also is facing a great deal of personal hardship, struggling to nourish herself and keep a roof over her head. Both she and Chaplin share a dream for future happiness and know the only way to accomplish that happiness is first by obtaining and maintaining steady work. But in the difficult economic landscape in which Chaplin and Paulette are living, this presents a great challenge. “Buck up and never say die,” is the moniker that Chaplin uses to encourage Paulette to not give up in the face of adversity. It is their own talent, not machine based employment that ends up securing employment, albeit temporary.
Through the use of limited dialogue, random visual titles, and body language, Chaplin craftily captures the viewer. And in these moments he conveys man’s reliance on machines and gives examples of situations where they can be problematic. It is his own personal life story of hardship at a young age that makes his portrayal more convincing. Above all, his humor and satirical nature transform this film into a classic that can be appreciated across generations, cultures, and borders.