Little Tramp in a Big Factory
Chaplin created his “Little Tramp” character in 1914-15 as a bumbling vagrant whose aspirations to romance and gentlemanly dignity routinely fall short. Yet he always rebounds from setbacks, ready to try again.
For class today, I’m asking you to watch the final appearance of the Little Tramp character. The 1936 movie Modern Times dates several years after the end of the silent film era (1894-1929). While it draws on the idiom of silent movies, it makes abundant use of sound effects. And at key moments characters speak aloud.
Viewing: Chaplin, Modern Times, available via: Kanopy. (If this doesn’t work, try BOB).
Writing: Respond to ONE of the following prompts. Keep your response short, posting as a reply under the appropriate heading in the comments section:
- Focusing on the initial sequence in the factory (00:00-19:10), point to a key detail and comment on its significance—whether political or artistic.
- Focusing on the first part of the movie’s love story (42:00-1:00:00), point to a key detail and comment on its significance—whether political or artistic.
- Focusing on the movie’s final sequence (1:09:00-1:27:10), point to a key detail and comment on its significance—whether political or artistic.