Modern Times (1936)

Really good movie from visionary and fun Charlie Chaplin in which industry literally swallows the human being.

I wonder how many people watch this nowadays and sympathise immediately with Chaplin's unskilled worker trying to keep up with the relentless march of technology? It starts with him being an unwilling guinea pig for a gadget that appears as useful for cleaning teeth as it is for feeding him - a cunning invention which allegedly saves time, money and increases productivity... Needless to say, it's a crock of the proverbial - but that's just the start with these wacky, frequently absurd, ideas that sees our hapless hero expend considerable energy and quick-wittedness trying to stay one step ahead of these "advances" - oh, and of just about everyone else he encounters as he struggles, comedically, along! Meantime, a starving, homeless, orphaned woman - Paulette Goddard - is caught pinching a loaf by a rather snooty passer-by, she bumps into Chaplin on the street whist effecting her getaway, and the pair are soon in cahoots together for more engaging escapades. Chaplin is outstanding in this film - his agility, timing and visionary direction - not just of the film, but of the portents for society at large - resonates just as soundly today as when audiences started watching it 85 years ago. It swipes at modernity, but not just for the sake of it , it's not luddite in outlook - just evaluative of what/who gets left behind - and that isn't just the blue collar workers either... The scenes on the ice skates in the department store are a delight to watch; charm, humour and agility all rolled into one - and I love his style consuming the rum! Definitely one for a big screen, there is so much going on...