Modern Times

Charlie Chaplin reprises his iconic and beloved role as the Little Tramp in this 1936 film. The character serves as a comedic but tragic foil to the impersonal, mechanized world of the Great Depression.

While it is largely considered the final silent film of Chaplin's career, it actually features synchronized sound effects, music, and occasional vocal dialogue. Chaplin notably uses voiceover for the first time in this movie, specifically during a nonsensical gibberish song performed at the end.

The female lead is played by Paulette Goddard, who portrays the resourceful and spirited homeless orphan known as the Gamin. Goddard was a major Hollywood star at the time and was also married to Chaplin during the film's production.

The film opens with the Tramp working on a brutally fast assembly line in a futuristic factory. He famously gets pulled into the massive gears of the machinery and later navigates through the giant conveyor belts in a brilliant display of physical comedy.