Modern Times is a silent pantomime directed and played by Charlie Chaplin in 1936. Even though this is a silent film, Charlie Chaplin could convey and express the plots vividly by utilizing his facial expression and body language. The setting was during the Great Depression, and this film tended to be a slapstick and satire.
The first scene of Modern Times is about the industry revolution. In the factory, workers were monitored and overseen by the president. The overuse of technology and machines forced workers to fit and keep up with machines’ pace in the modern society. The high intensive work efficiency made workers be nervous, sometimes made workers become dull and act without much emotion and thought. Such as Chaplin’s action in the factory, he tightened everything which looks like a nut, including his co-worker’s noses, the buttons on a woman’s dress and a fire hydrant. This scene not only has the purely comic effect, it also reveals the tyranny of technology and society which made labors lack creativity and though. It’s ironic because the purpose of technology has been created and people who came to the United States were both have the pursuit of happiness and get the advantage. On the contrary, technology enslaving people.
In this silent film, language appeared also several times. At the beginning of the film, language happen when the president made the instruction to his workers through the monitor. And then the language appeared when the man tried to sell and introduce his machine. Furthermore, language appeared when Chaplin was singing in the restaurant. The way we hear the voice is significant because it emphasizes the plots which have profound meaning and effect, the voice might cause audience’s attention to think. The voice happened when Chaplin was signing in the later of the film cause my attention because he forgot the lyric, and the lyric he sang made no sense for me. And based on the customers’ reaction, I think the lyric might be illogical and ridiculous which made them laugh. This scene made me think of Dadaism because it’s nonsense and unconventional, but it still might make people feel enjoyable. And I think Charlie Chaplin is also one of the supporters of Dadaism because he said that “It seems our laws are always telling us what not to do – are always keeping us from enjoying ourselves. Human beings are made just as much for having fun as goose-stepping and sweating in factories.” Breaking the normal procedure, and not just following the rational order might also be work for people.