Modern Times

The film Modern Times was a film based on a hard period for many living in the early 1930’s. Work was hard to find and a stable or secure job was unheard of. This semi-silent comedy film told the story of a factory worker who just got wound up way too tight. He had a mental break down in the middle of the day causing a horrifically funny scene. After that incident he was taken off to jail for causing the wreckage during the mental break down. The rest of the movie is about the main character finding a job. He tries out a couple but soon messes up or causes a ruckus, in turn him losing the job. Within that hunt he meets a vagrant woman who he eventually falls in love with. She is there to give him hope with the idea of having someone to come home too. At one point the two main characters are sitting outside a house and see a stay at home wife sending her husband away. The main characters use this to imagine what it would be like if that was their life. Building an imaginary life and acting out what it would be like to come home for a fresh cooked meal every night. All of this sums up to be a very humorous film.  This picture was meant to be more than humorous, it was meant to address the people living in that tough time.  Many movies that aired in this day and age were about the rich or some sort of adventure. No movie was willing to talk about the little guy, the average Joe trying to find a job. It spoke to the people that could not find a job or could not afford a home. Modern Times showed the citizens that there was hope for the lower class, that life might look bad but you can always find a laugh in the little things. One scene spoke to me the most; at one point the vagrant women and the formerly factory worker found a rundown house. I cannot understand how this house was still standing. My grandma could push it over without even breaking a sweat. They used this house as a temporary living space. Every time the factory worker came inside a board kept falling and hitting him square on the head. Those things are the ones you can find a little laugh in. This was one message conveyed in the movie; find the laugh in the little things. In the bleak and heavily industrial era many people needed to learn to laugh at the little things. Something to note is that the two main characters were never named. I believe they did this on purpose to give the illusion that any person could be in that situation. Also to give the people hope that if they are going through bad times that they can get out of it. Comedy is a great way to reach the people with a message. This movie does just that by mixing reality and comedy to convey an important message. All in all a great movie that any family can enjoy and in some situations relate too.