Modern Times Blu Ray Review

Posted by on November 26th, 2010   Filed under: Comedy, DVD Review, Movie Review

Modern Times
Written and Directed by: Charlie Chaplin
Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman

Modern Times

I’m sort of at a loss for what I could possibly add to the 74 year conversation on Modern Times that has preceded the release of this Criterion Collection blu ray. It’s certainly a classic and has been studied and written about by people way sharper than myself. As expected with most Criterion releases, this edition of the film comes packed with a fair number of supplemental materials, so perhaps I can focus on how this release might have enhanced my enjoyment and perception of Charlie Chaplin’s hilarious and timeless comedy.

The interesting thing about Modern Times is it requires very little internal calibration in order to be fully enjoyed. What I mean is I find that most comedies of the first half of the 20th century require a slight adjustment for tone, style, and sense of humour of that particular era. The comedy in Modern Times is universal and timeless. The physical gags are still as fresh now as they were then and many of the themes — the modernized world, unemployment, mechanized efficiency — are surprisingly relevant this many years later. I would say it’s a great primer for anyone who might be casually interested in the silent film era, even though Modern Times was shot well after the introduction of sync sound. In fact, Modern Times seems to have been one of the last silent films made, choosing the technique as a style rather than a necessity (much like the continued use of black and white after the introduction of colour). While there may be the occasional inclusion of synced dialogue — most famously during Chaplin’s gibberish song — The Tramp seems most comfortable within a silent world in which his broad facial gestures and slapstick comedy shines.

After revisiting the film on blu ray and going through some of its special features, it’s great to see some attention given to the special visual effects of Modern Times. While many of the gags seem straightforward in their execution, there are a few moments within the film that are truly head scratching. One such trick finds The Tramp rollerskating blindfolded, coming obliviously close to sending himself over the ledge of a three story drop in a shopping mall. The effect is seamless as we see him come within inches of the edge time and time again. In one of the disc’s featurettes, Craig Baron and Ben Burtt deconstruct this sequence revealing the use of a hanging glass matte painting, creating the flawless effect that holds up even under high definition scrutiny. Having said that, I did notice some wires during the eating machine sequence that are probably made that much more evident due to the 1080p transfer. Still, none of the humour or magic is lost on this sequence that remains a piece of truly hilarious physical comedy. For anyone questioning whether or not a 74 year old film can look great on blu ray, simply check out this disc.

Modern Times is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and for a film that’s now 74 years old it looks great. The black and white photography is fairly clean of dirt and scratches and contains a fine amount of grain, creating a final picture that retains the original charm while still clearly benefiting from a remastering process. This disc also contains a great deal of bonus features which include the following:

• New audio commentary by Charlie Chaplin biographer David Robinson
• Two new visual essays, by Chaplin historians John Bengtson and Jeffrey Vance
• New program on the film’s visual and sound effects, with experts Craig Barron and Ben Burtt
• Interview from 1992 with Modern Times music arranger David Raksin, plus a selection from the film’s original orchestral track
• Two segments cut from the film
• All at Sea (1933), a home movie by Alistair Cooke featuring Chaplin and actress Paulette Goddard, with a new score by Donald Sosin and a new interview with Cooke’s daughter, Susan Cooke Kittredge
• The Rink (1916), a Chaplin two-reeler
• For the First Time (1967), a short Cuban documentary about first-time moviegoers seeing Modern Times
• Chaplin Today: “Modern Times” (2003), a program with filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
• Three theatrical trailers
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Saul Austerlitz and a piece by film scholar Lisa Stein that includes excerpts from Chaplin’s writing about his 1930s world tour

SCORE: 4 stars





  • Jonny Ashley

    This is an awesome review, Jay. I had the great fortune a few weeks ago to watch Modern Times on film in my Film History class. I was really interested to hear you explain that rollerskating scene. We’ve also watched a lot of Buster Keaton, which is also loaded with a lot of death defying stunts performed by the leading man himself. While Chaplin isn’t exactly risking being run over by a moving train, his movies do have some serious balls.

    Your word “puzzling” is an apt description. It’s a really weird grey area between wanting to laugh at the physical humor going on, and preparing to gasp in horror before something horrible happens. One of the strangest feelings I get from this movie comes from seeing what a fucking idiot the Tramp character is. Modern Times takes several baffling 180 degree turns over the course of the movie. It’s borderline Mr. Magoo, but it occasionally gets your hopes up, letting you think that he’s somewhat competent (For example, stopping the prison break, and being let off for good behavior). However, moments after he’ll fuck it all up by sending a boatframe into the ocean.

    It’s a very strange movie, but all the more interesting for those reasons.

  • rjdelight

    Any time travellers in this one?

  • Aaron

    I picked this up as well and completely agree that it’s a classic. Out of the Chaplin films I’ve seen, this one is my favorite.

  • Jonny Ashley

    I would also like to add that Chaplin has a weird resemblance to Mike Myers

  • C Phillips

    People often don’t know that Chaplin was perhaps the only actor/director who had complete control over his own films to the extent he retained all the originals for himself and kept them in a vault. This is perhaps the single most reason his films and their recent digital copies do not suffer from the scratches, dust, and wear many earlier films do. Studios, in those days, did not see the value of retaining good copies and films were more a marketing tool with the end product being money. Chaplin had the insight to get control over his originals. These were, according to my understanding, seen in recent years with permission from his estate. I have not seen this criterion version, but the previous warner version of these films from the vault were actually very good considering the condition of other films of the era. I can only imagine the criterion version benefiting from their unique and quality treatment. Can’t wait to see it.

  • Dan

    Excellent review. Especially the point about ‘internal calibration’ and being easy to watch and enjoy nearly 75 years later. Two things I’d add. You won’t find a sexier, more lively female co-star in a silent comedy. Paulette Goddard was a great woman in her won right and as much as I adore Buster Keaton there’s nothing like her in any of his films.

    Also, while on an over-all-body-of-work basis I prefer Buster I say this deserves the ‘Best Comedy of All Time’ label bestowed on The General by Orson Welles. It has darkness and social commentary as well as slapstick and fart jokes. The improvised song scene is genius and I’ve never seen anyone draw out a joke so well. The first half hour of the film is practically one gag.