Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1936 • United States
Starring Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman
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.
In this 2010 visual essay, Chaplin historian Jeffrey Vance, author of “Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema,” draws from a wealth of production photography to discuss the making of MODERN TIMES.
In this 2010 program, Craig Barron and Ben Burtt, leading experts in the fields of visual and sound effects, respectively, discuss the techniques used and choices made by Charlie Chaplin and his crew on MODERN TIMES.
In this 2010 visual essay, John Bengtson, author of “Silent Traces: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Charlie Chaplin,” tours the locations used in MODERN TIMES through photographs, vintage maps, and film clips, revealing what Chaplin’s camera captured of the backdrop to the silent...
