The Great Dictator1940
Both on Don Hertzfeldt’s Top 10, both directed by Charlie Chaplin, and both starring Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard
Modern Times
United States / English / 1936 / 1h 27m
- Criterion Collection
- Spine №543
- Commentary
- 1 track on the Channel player
Synopsis
MODERN TIMES, Charlie Chaplin’s last outing as the Little Tramp, puts the iconic character to work as a giddily inept factory employee who becomes smitten with a gorgeous gamine (Paulette Goddard). With its barrage of unforgettable gags and sly commentary on class struggle during the Great Depression, MODERN TIMES—though made almost a decade into the talkie era and containing moments of sound (even song!)—is a timeless showcase of Chaplin’s untouchable genius as a director of silent comedy.
