Reading: Week 2 Flashcards
When Charlie Chaplin completed his last silent feature film, Modern Times where were silent films at?
- ilent films were already old-fashioned and out of vogue in 1936
- almost ten years after the sound revolution began with The Jazz Singer
Modern Times was a _________ film made for __________
silent film consciously made for the sound era
Modern Times Sound
synchronized soundtrack including sound effects and limited dialogue couched as “sound effects” + traditional title cards
What did Chaplin do in Modern Times?
wrote, directed, starred in, scored, produced, and sang and danced in Modern Times
Chaplin Modern Times physical acting
own stunts, including some extreme roller skating and a headfirst dive into a few inches of water.
I Love Lucy alludes to
Lucille Ball will discover that the most memorable gags from the beloved “job-switching” episode — Lucy at a chocolate factory > Modern Times
most important reason for the film’s ongoing relevance
contemporary themes and forward-looking perspective
Modern Times opening shot
footage of wave after wave of sheep crowding through a sheepfold passageway suddenly dissolving into footage of workers bustling out of a subway station
Modern Times break scene
the Tramp trying to take a break during work hours in the washroom — only to have a big-screen image of the boss’s head suddenly appear on the washroom wall and order him to quit stalling and get back to work
electronic surveillance in the workplace
Modern Times look @ future
Modern Times looks toward the future, but not with enthusiasm.
recurring theme in Modern Times that is just as relevant today
phenomenon of unemployment
burglars the Tramp encounters while working as a security guard, one of whom happens to know the Tramp and says plaintively, “We ain’t burglars — we’re hungry.” []
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N/A
red flag tramp picks up
subtlety and comic timing of the scene in which the Tramp is arrested for communist agitation
To the police, of course, the Tramp waving his red flag at the head of the crowd looks like the leader of these agitators; and he is quickly bundled off to jail.
climactic song-and-dance number
the Tramp’s actual voice is finally heard, yet the film’s rule against vocalized words remains intact.
quintessentially silent character; almost a mime. Like a mime, he interacts with his world but never really enters into it or belongs to it. He’s an eternal outsider, forever looking hopefully for his place in the world but never truly finding it; he is always moving on, walking away, his back to the camera and his face to the horizon
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N/A
