#543: CHAPLIN, Charles: Modern Times (1936)

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CHAPLIN, Charles (United States)
Modern Times [1936]
Spine #543
DVD


Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin's last outing as the Little Tramp, puts the iconic character to work as a giddily inept factory employee who becomes smitten with a gorgeous gamine (Paulette Goddard). With its barrage of unforgettable gags and sly commentary on class struggle during the Great Depression, Modern Times — though made almost a decade into the talkie era and containing moments of sound (even song!) — is a timeless showcase of Chaplin's untouchable genius as a director of silent comedy.

87 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2010
Director/Writer


Charles Chaplin was 47 when he wrote and directed Modern Times.


Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Forty-page booklet featuring an essay by film critic Saul Austerlitz and a piece by film scholar Lisa Stein that includes excerpts from Chaplin’s writing about his 1930s world tour.

Commentary

By Chaplin biographer David Robinson.

Video essays

By Chaplin historians John Bengtson and Jeffrey Vance.

Program

On the film’s visual and sound effects, with experts Craig Barron and Ben Burtt.
Interview

From 1992 with Modern Times music arranger David Raskin, plus a selection from the film’s original orchestral track.
Two segments

Cut from the film.
All at Sea

A home movie by Alistair Cooke featuring Chaplin and actress Goddard, with a new score by Donald Sosin and a new interview with Cooke’s daughter, Susan Cooke Kittredge.
The Rink

A Chaplin two-reeler from 1916.

For the First Time

A short Cuban documentary about first-time moviegoers seeing Modern Times.

Chaplin Today: “Modern Times”

A program with filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.

Three theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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