#78 Modern Times (1936)

So finally we meet, Little Tramp.

Plot summary (with spoilers): Factory worker Charlie Chaplin works all day at the Widget Factory, tightening screws with a giant wrench.  He's working so fast, that even when it's time to stop for a break, he keeps swiveling back and forth and tightening widget screws in his mind, to hilarious effect.  Some men come in wanting to talk to The President of the company. They're trying to sell him a new machine that feeds people. They ask The President for a volunteer worker, so they can demonstrate how it works.  Charlie is picked, of course, and he is strapped into this weird thing that has robot arms that feed him a full course meal.  But unfortunately, the machine malfunctions and gets food all over Charlie, to hilarious effect. Then later, when he's tightening widgets again, he accidentally falls onto the conveyor belt and gets sucked into the machine, to hilarious effect. After they pull him out, he goes crazy and starts spraying everyone in the face with oil, but fortunately it's the kind of oil that can be sprayed into your face with no ill effects, only hilarious ones. Eventually they chase him around until they catch him and put him on the paddy wagon headed for Crazyville.

Some time later, our hero is cured...but no longer has a job.

We see ol' Charlie leave the mental hospital and wander around aimlessly, bothering people.  No one can offer him a job. He walks down the road, and sees a truck drive off.  A flag falls off the back of the truck and Charlie grabs it and runs after it, waving the flag back and forth.  Suddenly, a giant crowd of evil communist Clifford Odets reader's spring up around him, waving their flags and holding signs protesting the capitalist regime.  The cops descend upon the crowd, and mistake Charlie for their leader.  He's promptly arrested. In jail, he first keeps bumping into his large inmate, and then knocks shit over. Did I mention the hilarity?  The other inmate growls and acts mad but doesn't give the Tramp the beating he so richly deserves.  Later, they're eating lunch in the prison cafeteria. 

A search for those smuggling the "nose powder".

Then, the Tramp...wait, what?  Nose powder?  Do they mean...?  Is that some sort of old timey slang for make-up?  

No, indeed.  A couple of guards start searching inmates, and the one next to Charlie quickly pours his stash into the salt shaker. Wow. I thought things were supposed to be all innocent and shit in the Olden Times. 

Anyway, the inmate is taken away, and Charlie sprinkles the coke/salt on his meal.  He even wipes his nose and leaves a powdery smudge on his little Hitler mustache. He of course goes all nutty, and starts spazzing out, stealing bread from another inmate, etc. At this point, some other inmates stage a breakout, and overpower a guard and grab his gun, but coked-out Charlie saves the day by disarming them and beating them up. The cops want to reward Charlie by commuting his sentence and letting him go.  Charlie says the world is scary out there, and doesn't want to leave. They make him go anyway.

He tries to get several jobs and fails. 

Meanwhile, we meet a young woman whose parents have died, leaving her in charge of caring for her younger sisters. She can't find work, so out of desperation, steals some bread from an outdoor food stand or whatever.  She's grabbed by the cops, but Charlie happens by right at that point and declares that he was actually the one who stole the bread.  They start to take him away, but then the owner of the food stand emphatically shakes his head and gestures at the woman.  She runs off, and the cops pursue. Charlie's disappointed, but it gives him an idea.  He eats a big meal at a restaurant, then informs the waiter he can't pay by turning out his pockets and doing that pose from Monopoly.  The waiter calls the cop over, and they haul him in.  On the paddywagon to the Big House, Charlie sees the woman from earlier.  She thanks him for trying to take the rap for him earlier.  He smiles and spazzes out and I seriously don't get all the tics and shit at all.  Anyway, suddenly the cop wagon crashes, and they spill out the back.  They go running off, even though Charlie just tried to get himself arrested, so whatever. 

They wind up basically in a suburb in front of someone's yard. They sit in the grass and stare at each other. Inside the house, a man leaves for work and his wife kisses him goodbye and waves.  Charlie and the girl watch this go down, then Charlie mockingly imitates the woman waving goodbye and the girl laughs bitterly.  They then imagine what it would be like to have a home, a job, a good life. After awhile, the fantasy is over and they sit on the grass, miming eating breakfast while smiling sadly.  It's shockingly poignant and moving. In the end, they get up and start walking again.  They pass by a building and are told that the night watchman just got fired for stealing. Charlie applies for the job. That night, he sneaks the girl into the building.  They play for half the night, skating in the toy department, cooking in the kitchen department, and finally Charlie tucks the girl into bed in the bedroom department, while he continues to keep watch over the store.

Some men come in to rob the place.  One of the robbers is Charlie's old co-worker from the factory.  He tells Charlie the factory is closed.  Charlie decides to let them rob the place, but then the cops show up and arrest the robbers.  The manager then fires Charlie.

He and the girl next apply for a job at a restaurant, where Charlie is required to wait table and also sing as the night's entertainment. There's a bunch of crazy wacky shit that goes down as Charlie goes IN the OUT door on his way to the kitchen and OUT the IN door on his way to the dining room, and food gets spilled and none of it is funny, at all.  Ever. Then he's supposed to sing.  He forgets the words to the song, so then sings Italian gibberish (this is all dubbed over, of course). The diners love it. The owner of the restaurant wants to hire Charlie full time.  He and the girl are elated.

Now we can buy a real house!

Suddenly, the cops show up. They have a warrant for the girl's arrest, for vagrancy, larceny, etc. She and Charlie make a break for it and run out of the restaurant. They barely escape after some wacky slapstick involving chairs or whatever. (Don't ask).  Outside, they stare at each other sadly, and then hold hands. They start walking.  We fade out as they march off into the bitter, uncertain sunset. 

Review: It's...interesting.  The pathos and the melancholy are really engaging and personally shocking to me, because I thought the Olden Time movies were usually deliberately light, The fact that this movie came out during the Depression makes it seem particularly counter-intuitive. I thought we go to movies for escapism.  That's why Pirates of the Caribbean outperforms Bridesmaids. So, that stuff is good.  Real good.  The alleged "comedy"...not so much.  In fact, of the Olden Times movies I've seen so far, the only comedy I've liked is Bringing Up Baby, where I've liked all the dramas so far.  Even this movie, I would've loved a 45 minute short film that dropped all the The Little Tramp's tiresome tics and theatrics.  And yes, I realize that's what made him famous, but it does nothing at all for me. The only Olden Time guy left for me to check out is Buster Keaton, so we'll see where it goes from there. 

Stars: Two out of five. 

Next, "All the President's Men" and "Forest Gump", which only succeeds in making me bitter all over again about the 1995 Oscars.