Charlie Chaplin got criticized that his film verges on the sentimental and fails to treat social concerns. This urges him to focus on social issue in Modern Times . The conflict of two opposing moral perspectives of this film is truly unique. The conflict factor that confronts the protagonist is not one person; in fact, the plot as a whole gravitates towards the age of modernity. As the first industrial revolution began, modernization started. The Industrial Revolution is an era when steam engines were invented, electricity appeared, and factories were created, hence enabling efficient production. Unlike the days when human beings were in harmony with the nature in the past, they turned to perform like parts of factories. Everything seems to have changed efficiently, and society has developed; at the same time, human seems to have lost something much more precious. Charlie Chaplin pleasantly portrays this heavy theme in his own genius wit which is related to his personal genre.
By immersing into how the issue of social realism is developed through Chaplin’s “personal genre”, it comes to light that an English filmmaker makes stress upon illuminating the mixture of aesthetic and ideological perspectives embedded within the society; these two public’s basic constituents reflect upon a two-fold nature of social order. As the film progresses, it becomes apparent that Chaplin makes mention of the fact that people tend to be either manipulated or oppressed. Within this context, his framework of “personal genre” rests upon both sympathy and skepticism as an outcome of a harsh reality.
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Modern Times unfurls with the image of Clock. Clock is an important tool in understanding the era of the Industrial Revolution. It’s because modernization has created prerequisites for the total control over much of human life. It also shows the life of a worker controlled by time in the film. It is a system that must check precisely the working time and the break time. The factory in the movie shows the appearance of the industrial age. A person in front of a giant machine looks just like a machine part. They only work to tighten the nuts given to them. Previously, a person was an inventor and creator who handed everything from start to finish when making things. However, as the industrialization and the factory came into existence, human beings simply had to stand in one position and tighten one component. The factory has increased productivity; on the other hand, it has severely reduced the quality of human life.
The protagonist spent too long time to tighten the nuts and eventually gets stuck with obsession. If he looks at a person's nose, ornaments of a garment, which are slightly protruding, he unconditionally goes to tighten them with pliers. His body and mind emerge to be increasingly sick. Meanwhile, the president plays peacefully puzzle games and watches the work of his workers by CCTV. The greatest dilemma of the Industrial Revolution era is that capitalists have more power than technicians. The technician who can make things deserves to be respected, but as it is absorbed into the capitalist society, most of the cost of the labor of the engineer and the worker is taken by the boss.
The film talks about the problem of irrational class, and it also contains a bigger story about human and technology. Technology has increased productivity and maximized efficiency in manufacturing goods. However, the relations are reversed. Sometimes the machine is more like the owner, and the person becomes like the assistant. In a huge machine, people are playing the role of machine’s parts; and the factory scene of the film accurately describes it. The main character concentrates on tightening the nut. Even when it is sucked into the machine, it constantly tightens the nut. The figure of the protagonist holding the pliers on a large cogwheel shows the shape of human being as part of the machine. It is a scene that reveals the theme of this movie. The protagonist, who has been living like a machine part for so long, is becoming increasingly distracted, threatening people, and breaking down the factory system. At one point, the factory becomes a mess. The film sheds light on how the space called the factory makes people dehumanize and drive them crazy.
The moment when the protagonist is able to find humanity again pertains to seeing the gamin. The thing they have in common is that they are perfect strangers in society. The man was kicked out of the factory system, and the woman became very poor and went to orphans. These two become hopeful people to each other. They are truly free souls, enjoying the whole world, even though they have no home and no money. Eventually, the two are deprived of the system of society, but represent a joy to people with dancing and singing. While the man is in prison, the woman is doing the dancing first, and she also recommends her job to him. He makes mistakes at first, and then improvises on singing, which gives laughter to millions of people. The two are strangers who do not adjust to the times; on the reverse side, they are hopeful in the times. Although they run away again after being driven back to the police, the day ahead of them seems to be a more hopeful life. They are deprived of the structure of the industrial system and find a more authentic human life. Of course, it may not be a happy ending, but still there is freedom and love.
All things considered , Modern Times must be seen as a film that conveys a satirical depiction of industrial society and mechanization. Charlie Chaplin delivers sharp insight into the loss of humanity stemming from the era of capitalism and industrialization, and takes an amazing excursus ahead of the times. Although it is based on the American industrialization era of the 1930s, it seems to see the self-portrait of our society at present. Also, the image of leaving and looking for happiness with the girl leaves a message that we can never give up hope even in despair. In reality, the movie endeavors to create a platform for the masses to take another look at their daily life – namely, to recognize that “perfect” life is nothing more but an illusion for the majority. It is not an exaggeration to say that Chaplin does a great job of unearthing the pessimism that prevails, especially among the lower classes. At the same time, one cannot but give Modern Times credit for enlightening people on a crucial role granted to both perseverance and tolerance. The thing is, these two virtues deserve a careful regard as they are likely to contribute positively to overcoming barriers to a decent life. Charlie Chaplin alludes to that being perseverant and tolerant could give the chance to adapt to the changes associated with the modern times.
