Modern Times

The Tramp comes face to face with the industrial world and its very workings. Man and machine, man in machinery and man as machine are but a few of this worlds delights. Protests about poverty mix with delightful ramshackle houses. He finds love in this mess but also finds prison. He is freed after stopping a jail break,becomes a night watchman as a reward and ends up a singing sensation. Only Chaplin could move so fast and be such fun.

Chaplin is a challenge to explore as is often the case with such talent. You say everything worth saying about him and find out it is said. That is until you reach for a film like this and it reignites that desire to know. Desire to understand what is so lasting about his films. Well after some contemplation it struck me, you see often people buy these works for a reason. Either it is a love of the great man and that is justified. Then you have the completest. They want all Chaplin and his works. Then you have the 100 great movie types. This features and rightfully so. But it should be seen as a great film about the horror of industrial work and the time period it was made in. It however is still funny as it is true today and is still very clever at its set pieces.Goddard is very funny and beautiful. Chaplin excites and has a real sense of social justice which he will push far along in the course of his films.

For Chaplin this was his last Tramp film and one that is at his sheer best. It looks amazing with its transfer to Blu ray. The score is also a delight. It has bounce and blend for the piece and would delight Chaplin. Curzon have done an ample job of giving it width, great restored version and extras. They have turned what could have easily have been a profit making, single slice vanilla piece into a gem. Care and consideration have been taken and it is just as good today as when first screened. The introduction is superb and lights up the film. The out take from Chaplins last silent film is a delight and opens it up again.