Modern Times (1936)

Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times”

In 1927, Alan Crosland released "The Jazz Singer," the first sound film. By 1931, most of Hollywood had transitioned to producting primarily sound pictures. Writers from across the country began migrating to Southern California to participate in the booming industry that would become known as the world’s stage for film. In 1931, Charlie Chaplin released what many believed would be his final silent film, "City Lights." However, five years later, Chaplin made one last contribution to this timless art form with his masterpiece "Modern Times." Although "Modern Times" is not entirely a silent film - it features occational dialogue and sound effects - it is largely told from the perspective of Chaplin’s most iconic character, the Tramp. Through this character's lens, the film retains the spirit of silent cinema. Sadly, "Modern Times" marked the Tramp's final appearance on screen, giving audiences one last glimpse of the beloved character. 

After the Great Depression ended in 1933, America returned to work, with its major industries once again churning out streamlined products for the nation’s consumers. Market leaders believed the best way to prevent another crash was to increase the productivity of capital and continually expand oppotunities for the average consumer to spend money. By doing so, not only did the economy begin flowing with cash, but those controlling the system secured their own prosperity and created a buffer for themselves in the event of another catastrophic financial implosion. However, this approach led factories across the country to minimize wages and maximize output. In responce, laborers nationwide began going on strike to protest the harsh working conditions they faced. This emerging industrial landscape offered a glimpse into the future of the nation - an America as a vast machine, with laborers functioning as its mechanical parts, producing financial security for those already in possession of wealth and power. The result was a growing divide between the classes, making it increasingly difficult to escape this oppressive structure. This mechanized, unequal America serves as the backdrop for Chaplin's "Modern Times." 

Chaplin opens the film with an image of sheep moving in a herd. The scene then transitions to a crowd of people emerging from the subway, followed by a shot of those same people entering a factory to begin their workday. This opening sequence underscores Chaplin's commentary on modern society: these individuals, destined for factory labor, are portrayed as the human equivalent of sheep. They are not autonomous beings pursuing their own path, but rather cattle to be herded and controlled. This visual metaphor immediately sets the tone for the film, illustrating how both the collective workforce - even our protagonist - will be treated as tools within a dehumanizing sytem.

We are then shown the office of the factory's President and the man who occupies it. Dressed in a suit, he idly assembles a puzzle before casually turning to read a newspaper. These leisurely activities imply that he does not engage in any real labor. Despite being the head of the company, the luxurious nature of his nonchalant meanderings suggest that he is not required to put forth any effort into what he is doing, even though he reaps the profits of those working for him – the fundamental embodyment of capitalism. This is the American economic philosophy that would dominate the rest of the century. 

The President then activates a kind of television screen, allowing him to flip through different live feeds of various factory areas and the men at work. He rings a bell, summoning a worker to the screen, and instructs him to speed up a particular section of the production line. With this scene, Chaplin vividly illustrates the President's absolute control over both his capital and his workforce. The technology on display - surveillance through screens and remote communication - suggests the story is set in a near-future, as such capabilities did not exist in 1936. The title “Modern Times” thus reads as a warning: a foreboding glimpse into a future shaped by unchecked capitalism, mechanized labor, and the increasing tools of control that will come with industrialization.

We are then introduced to the Tramp, who is working on an assembly line, tightening bolts on metal plates. All the men on the line perform the same repetitive motion, as Chaplin draws a clear parallel between the workers and the machines they operate. He suggests that these men have become extensions of the machinery - stripped of individuality and reduced to mechanical functions. The Tramp struggles to keep pace with the relentless speed of the line, unable to maintain his place in the workflow. Through this, Chaplin suggests that the common worker is forced to work beyond their limits and must adjust to oppressive labor conditions. 

When the Tramp is finally given a break and someone takes his place, he continues to make the same repetitive tightening motion as he walks to the restroom - so ingrained is the physical routine that he cannot shake it, even momentarily. Once inside, he light ups a cigarette, attempting a moment of repreve, but is immediately interrupted by the President appearing on a screen behind him, ordering him to stop wasting time and return to work. Chaplin reinforces the oppressive reality of the modern worker: one who denied even a proper break, subjected to constant serveillance, and expected to perform without pause in an unforgiving industrial system. 

It is also noteworthy that, throughout most of "Modern Times," the only character who speaks is the President of the company - constantly issuing orders. His ability to speak stands out, especially in the context of a Charlie Chaplin film, where silent traditionally reigns. This choice seems to convey two distinct ideas. 

First, in this industrialized, capitalistic ‘modern world,’ the only person granted a voice - and, by extension, power - is the one who controls capital. The laborers remain silent, sybolizing their lack of agency and their exclusion from the structures of authority. In this context, speech represents power, and its absense among the workers reflects their voicelessness within the system.

Second, the President's speech also symbolizes the arrival of the talking picture. By 1936, silent films virtually extinct, and Chaplin was being pushed to adapt adjust to this changing cinematic landscape. Chaplin draws a parallel between the rise of industrial capitalism and the rise of sound in cinema - both signs of a new era that he, and his iconic character the Tramp, must learn to navigate.

The President of the factory is then introduced to a new machine designed to feed his workers while they continue working. Its purpose is to “increase production” and “decrease overhead.” To test the device, the President selects the Tramp as the subject during the factory’s lunch hour. This machine symbolizes the growing obsession with productivity at the expense of human dignity. It embodies the increasing willingness of capitalists to exploit workers in the name of efficiency. Due to the competitive nature of capitalism, those controlling the means of production are pressured to cut corners to become more efficient to outpace their competitors.  

While working on the assembly line, the Tramp misses a few bolts and chases them down the line shaft, getting caught in the belts and gears of the machinery - resulting in one of the most iconic shots in cinematic history. Chaplin uses this shot to illustrate the larger point of the film: that all individuals in these so-called "modern times" are just mere components within the vast machinery of industrialization. The mechanical nature of their labor, coupled with their strict commands to prioritize productivity and efficiency, makes them more akin to gears and levers of a machine than to the human beings. 

After becoming entangled in the machinery, the Tramp suffers a nervous breakdown. He begins running wildly around the factory, chasing people and mimicking the motion of tighenting bolts. His tireless, unrelenting work caused him to mentally break. He then goes around spraying people with oil – visually lubricating all the gears (people) of the factory. His mental break prompts the police to arrive and send him to the hospital for treatment. 

After being released from the hospital, the Tramp wanders the street in search of work. This comes at no avail as many places have closed down. This widespread shutdown of all local establishments subtly suggests that the factory is eliminating smaller competition, leaving people with few options: either struggle to survive on the streets or conform and join the factory workforce. Chaplin implies that the rise of industrialization and capitalism in modern times demands conformity, eradicating alternatives and stifling any competing economic or social philosophies. 

This theme is further reinforced when the Tramp accidentally becomes a part of a street demonstration - a workers union protesting the poor and oppressive working conditions of the factory system. Mistaken for the leader of the protest, he is arrested and sent to jail. This also illustrates the extreme power those with capital have –  having the ability to utilize the law and police enforcement to break apart any workers’ revolution. Throughout the film, Chaplin demonstrates how law enforcement acts as the mechanical gears of the society, just as the laborers act as the mechanical gears of the factory – both are controlled by capital leaders, who can turn anyone under their economic means into motorized mechanisms to do their bidding and to keep their industry working as a well-oiled machine. 

We are then introduced to the Gamin, an impoverished young woman roaming the waterfront stealing food from carrier boats and giving them to poor children, even bringing bananas back to her motherless sisters and her unemployed father. The Gamin symbolizes the American citizen who refuses -or is unable - to conform to the new industrial world and, as a result, is pushed to the margins of society – forced to fend for herself by acting outside the law as a means of survival. After her father is killed in a street accident, her sisters are taken away to an orphanage, leaving the Gamin completely alone.

Meanwhile, the Tramp is being held in prison, mistaken for a communist leader. At one point, the guards blow a whistle, prompting the prisoners to exit their cells and stand at attention. When the whistle blows again, they march in a single-file line to the lunchroom. Chaplin uses the rigid, mechanical movements of the prisoners  to draw a striking parallel between the mechanical nature of the factory with the mechanical nature of the prison, complete with a bell or whistle being blown by a commander. Chaplin is once again reinforcing his critique on modern society, suggesting that the factory and prison are simply two sides of the same oppressive structure.

Chaplin emphasizes the growing inescapability of  human automation in the modern world. His message is clear: If you cannot - or will not - conform to the demands of industrial society, you will be made to by the sheer power of law and state enforcement. Either way, individuals will become a machine of industry and stripped of their autonomy. 

During a prison break, the inmates trap the guards in their cell in an attempt to escape. However, the Tramp intervenes - disarming the prisoners and freeing the guards. As a reward, he is granted his release but also receives a written recommendation for employment. He soon finds work assisting laborers building a boat, but accidentally sends it sliding off its ramp and sinking into the water. Fired once again, he finds himself back on the street. Reflecting on his brief time in prison, he realizes that at least he had a place to sleep and food to eat – so he tries to get arrested again. 

With this, Chaplin illustrates a chilling truth: in the modern industrial world, those who do not or cannot conform to its systems are denied access to basic resources, effectively coerced into submission. Either they join the workforce or they end up incarcerated, where they are still, ultimately, part of the machine. This theme is reinforced when the Gamin is arrested for stealing bread in a desperate attempt to survive. The Tramp tries to take the blame, claiming he stole the bread, but the authorities arrest the Gamin anyway. 

Still determined to return to the security of jail, the Tramp eats at a buffet and intentionally refuses to pay, even inviting a nearby police officer to arrest him - which the officer obliges. While being transported in a paddy wagon, the Tramp is reunited with the Gamin. He helps her escape, and when she pleads with him to come with her, he agrees. 

The Tramp and the Gamin wander through a suburban neighborhood and see a well-to-do middle class family outside their home. They dream about what it would be like to be that family, imagining an idealized life with plenty of food and material possessions. Through a daydream sequence, Chaplin illustrates the life that they could have if they conformed to the new industrialized society around them. In this sequence, they pick fruit from tree limbs growing outside their window, cook a juicy steak, and even own a cow to milk. The Tramp and the Gamin become so memorized by this luxurious, resource-rich lifestyle that the Tramp vows to find work once again in order to provide this version of the American dream. 

The Tramp uses his letter of recommendation to get a job at a department store. He takes advantage of his new position to sneak the Gamin into the multi-story building so they have a place to stay. While there, they enjoy some of the store's items - sampling the luxuries they could have if they were living the idealized American dream and had the means to afford them. They try out a pair of roller skates, with the Tramp gliding playfully around the room. In the shot below, he unknowingly skates dangerously close to the edge of an open floor, which is under construction. The visual gag of the Tramp obliviously risking a fatal fall mirrors his precarious position in society. Unable to conform to the demands of the modern industrial world, he continually finds himself in danger of falling - both economically and literally. His impoverished lifestyle is unsustainable in this new world, and the ultimate consequence is being pushed so far to the margins that survival becomes impossible.

While staying overnight at his new workplace, the Tramp encounters a trio of men who have broken in to rob the store. One of them turns out to be a former factory co-worker. The man tells the Tramp, “We’re not robbers – we’re just hungry.” With this line, Chaplin highlights that even those who conform of the new industrialized world remain oppressed, driven to desperation for basic human necessities. The modern system promises a better life, yet burdens its workers with overloaded work, while failing to provided for them. The Tramp shares a drink with his old comrade and eventually passes out.

The next morning, the Tramp is found passed out in the clothing department and is promptly arrested, serving ten days in jail. When he is released, the Gamin greets him and excitedly tells him she has found a new home for them. She leads him to the edge of town, where she has fixed up an abandoned shack. Chaplin uses the interior of the shack to illustrate the harsh living conditions that those on the fringes of society must learn to endure.

In an effort to afford a better home, the Tramp takes a job repairing machinery at a steel factory. It quickly becomes clear that the Tramp is completely inept at the job, bumbling through tasks and making constant mistakes. However, before he can be fired, the factory workers go on strike – once again leaving the Tramp out of work and eventually back in jail. After showing the Tramp's latest arrest, Chaplin cuts to a shot of a merry-go-round. This visual symbolizes the repetitive cycle the Tramp is trapped in: gaining employment and a chance of stability, only to lose it and end up back on the streets, arrested as a vagrant or caught up in labor unrest, sent back to prison, and repeating that cycle. Chaplin suggests that the Tramp is caught in a vicious loop, much like the repetitive motion of industrial machinery. He cannot seem to escape this societal merry-go-round, which forces him into a state of reluctant compliance with the mechanical, dehumanizing demands of the modern world.

A café owner spots the Gamin dancing in the streets and notes that she would make a great addition to the café's entertainment. We then cut to her performing in a golden dress in a café ballroom, as the audience applauds. This moment introduces the next stage of the industrial world's influence – the industrialization of entertainment. Just as the steel factory has become fully automated, run by both machines and mechanized human labor, so too has the entertainment industry begun to follow suit. In the film's final sequences, Chaplin draws a parallel between the industrial modern world and the world of entertainment, which he himself is a part of. With the rise of sound films, Hollywood transformed into a well-oiled machine, churning out talkies with such expedience that it began to resemble the steel factory depicted earlier - focused on the mass production of the final product, with those in power cutting corners and tightening control to gain ever more dominance over their workers. 

After the Tramp is released from jail once again, the Gamin secures him a job at the café. He is hired as both a waiter and a performer and is eventually told he must sing on the ballroom floor. The Tramp hesitates - just as Chaplin himself hesitated to embrace sound to his films. When he first steps onto the ballroom floor, the Tramp begins only to dance and pantomime, much to the audience's displeasure. Their growing displeasure builds into an uproar, and at last, the Tramp finally gives in and sings - marking the first time Chaplin's voice is heard on film. In order to pursue economic security and fulfill the American Dream he promised the Gamin, the Tramp must conform and become yet another cog in the machine. Likewise, Chaplin must concede to the new landscape of talking films and become another voice in a sea of sound. 

Though Chaplin plays the moment with lighthearted charm, there's an undercurrent of melancholy. As viewers, we don't want to see the Tramp bend to the pressures of the modern world. But the reality is clear: he must, or he will not survive. As a viewer, it is difficult to watch Chaplin conform to the new landscape of talkies. His iconic character and pantomime performances represent the spirit of cinema in the 1910s and 1920s. Chaplin was the final pillar of that golden age, and seeing him conform to the modern world evokes a sense of defeat - a recognition that a new era is inevitable. The Tramp must conform to industrialization and dehumanization, Chaplin must conform to the new era of talkies, and we must also conform to what lies ahead of us. Because in the end, a new modern world is always just around the corner – forcing us, like the Tramp and like Chaplin, to adapt. 

However, the Tramp's moment of concession is abruptly cut short when the police arrive with a warrant to arrest the Gamin for vagrancy. The Tramp helps her escape, and together they are once again cast out  into the world of unemployed and instability. At this point, it seems there is no place left for them. They are trapped in an endless cycle where defeat feels inevitable. The Gamin asks what the point of trying is, to which the Tramp responds, “Buck up – never say die. We’ll get along!” He leads her toward the open road, a destination unknown, disappearing into the horizon. 

Before they go, the Tramp looks at the Gamin and mimes the word “Smile,” gesturing for her to life her spirits. This is the last thing the Tramp will ever say. As they walk away from the camera, down the uncertain road into the horizon, the shot will be the last time we will ever see the Tramp again. 

Chaplin uses this moment to send the Tramp off into a forgotten past to make way for the modern world – a world that no longer has a use for him. It is a world that has no use for those who will not conform to the industrialization of capitalism, and one that has no use for silent films any longer. The Tramp walks away into the horizon of the past, leaving the modern world all together. His last message provides the antidote to this modern world and to the frustrations of life all together – smile!