Review of Modern Life

The opening image of Modern Times is a herd of sheep pouring through the gate of an open pen which melds into an image of men rushing to work. I'm not sure if this image was iconic then, but it certainly is now. It is also an icon for the whole movie: a satire of industrial society. Seeing this film, it makes sense that it alarmed many wealthy industrialists and their allies in government, and earned the ire of such men as J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI.

Charlie Chaplin's also iconic Tramp character and his thief girlfriend get jobs, systematically lose them, and waltz in and out of jail more times than you can count. It's all very funny. I also find it interesting that The Tramp, in one scene, is mistaken for a communist and gets in trouble with the authorities. Was this a prophetic vision of things to come, or was Chaplin already getting in trouble for his leftist leanings in the 1930's?

Although films had ceased to be silent many years in the past, Modern Times plays like a silent film, with only sound effects, music and brief snippets of dialogue. The only dialogue spoken is phrases like, "Get back to work!" Regarding the music, I wish I had read about the movie beforehand, because apparently the love theme from the movie became famous later as the song "Smile".



Watching this movie made me think about the 1930's as compared to the 1990's. While life must have surely been harder for people in the 30's, in retrospect, my time as a Gen-Xer in the 90's recession was similar. Jobs were scarce for young people and many found themselves depending on the elder generation for support. Droughts were common. Both eras were followed by a baby boom as the elder generation aged and the newer one took over their jobs.

The comparison is interesting when examining how each generation bore the hardships. In the 30's, throughout all media, including Modern Times, one can see a simple message: "Times are tough, but smile, because things will get better". Compare that with the 90's, when times were easier than the 30's, but still pretty bad (but not for rich people). My generation's culture was saturated with sarcasm, cynicism, disillusion, depression, anger and apathy. If Gen-X 90's culture could speak about life, it would sullenly say, "It's all bullshit anyway." Both cultures valued smiles, but my generation appreciated a sardonic, knowing smile.

I'm not saying one generation handled it better than the other. I'm just saying it's interesting how they coped.

This is, no doubt, a strange digression from the subject of the movie review. Returning, I heartily commend it for its courage in dealing with what must have been painful subjects with humour and smiles. It is fascinating and funny.

4 1/2 cogs in the machine out of 5