Modern Times

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

Paul & Amy crank through 1936’s mechanical Charlie Chaplin comedy Modern Times! They praise the film’s ever-escalating setpieces, learn why Joseph Goebbels banned it in Germany, and ponder how much the working world has really changed since the 30s. Plus: We hear your recommendations for other silent films to add to the list.

For It Happened One Night week, what other romantic comedies do you want to see on the AFI list? Call the Unspooled voicemail line at 747-666-5824 with your answer. Follow us on Twitter @Unspooled, get more info at unspooledpod.com and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Also check out our live Spool Party episodes on youtube.com/earwolf!

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

 

[FictionIsntReal 79]

This is easily my favorite Chaplin feature. City Lights leaned too much on his mawkish sentimentality, but the manic depiction of industrialism really worked for me here.

Your point about today's "welfare moms" vs the depiction of the poor here is astute. The analytic Marxist philosopher G. A. Cohen wrote about how differently we thought of inequality and deprivation then vs now:

Quote

there is now no group in advanced industrial society which unites the four characteristics of: (1) being the producers on whom society depends, (2) being exploited, (3) being (with their families) the majority of society, and (4) being in dire need.

During the New Deal male breadwinners were prioritized, with single mothers only getting benefits if they were widows. This changed during the Great Society of the 1960s, and the Moynihan report (produced under LBJ) noted that marriage was falling apart in inner cities as a result (Steve Waldman attributes this to a trilemma in which America has picked liberalism and inequality at the cost of pathology). During the New Deal era they would have distinguished between the "deserving" and "undeserving" poor, with non-widow single mothers in the latter category.

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

I accidentally watched this instead of City Lights back when the podcast originally did that episode, watched again this week (thanks, HBO Max!).

Man, I love this one. It's my favorite Chaplin out of what I've seen. The thing that really strikes me about it is how modern it feels. There are long stretches where you forget you're watching a silent film. Partially that's because of some of the "cheats" in it, like dialogue playing over a speaker, or Chaplin singing at the end, but it's also because the movie is so tight and creative with its visual storytelling and "flows" so well that you don't need dialogue to help you understand anything. As a thematic statement about the evils of capitalism it's also pretty brilliant and eternally relevant.

Also, holy cow, Paulette Goddard. She's part of the reason this movie feels so modern; unlike a lot of other silent actresses, you feel like she could just be dropped straight into a modern movie and would not feel out of place. Her look and acting style are very contemporary. She's so energetic and magnetic, she almost steals the movie away from Chaplin. I loved him having a leading lady who was played as an equal. (I'll overlook the "underage" thing, since at that time I don't think an adult marrying a 17 year old would have been too unusual.)

So yeah, keep it on the list! Should be higher!

[AlmostAGhost 2718]

Yea I loved this movie so much. So much.

I love that all the bits are about food & shelter, it makes this more than just a comment on modernization. It's about the basics. Life! And love, too. Existence. 

I have this top-7 and as I keep thinking about the list, as we get to the end here, it may go higher.