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26 May 2024 Genève (Geneva) (Switzerland)
Festival Charlie Chaplin Modern Times
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Timothy Brock - Bâtiment des Forces Motrices
Program Info: Charles Chaplin - Modern Times
Producing a film in 1936 that had sound effects but otherwise worked like a silent film was a risk that ultimately turned out to be a success. Chaplin presents man in the wheelwork of modern technology, who is ranked as an appendage of the apparatus; vital needs are contrasted with exaggerated rationalization and mechanization. MODERN TIMES can thus be read as a socio-critical tragic comedy with a bittersweet poignancy. However, the structure of the film cannot be defined solely by the principle of social criticism. It is primarily a series of short episodes, cleverly connected, in which “the Tramp” makes his final appearances. With a résumé of grace, artistry and pantomime occurs. Chaplin's most famous character off the screen. The tramp and the girl on their way to the horizon together - no final image in film history has become more popular.
Music: Although MODERN TIMES was conceived as a talkie, Chaplin still maintains its silent film aesthetic and places little dialogue within the film. The musical density is correspondingly high. The multifaceted composition for MODERN TIMES is among the most complex and innovative in Chaplin's entire opus. The music not only reflects the story, but also translates its message musically. The range of expression ranges from depressing passages to youthful, lively interjections. The dance numbers in the café in particular are bursting with life and testify to the special quality of the composer Chaplin. In addition, the audience could hear the voice of the tramp for the first time, singing the song "Titina".
Content: Never before had Charlie the tramp endured so many stations; the episodes follow one another and throw him into ever new situations, all of which demand something unexpected from him. As a worker on the assembly line, he gets out of step and becomes the test subject of a feeding machine, which suddenly mutates into an instrument of torture. This traumatic experience temporarily leads the tramp to psychiatry. Released as cured, he involuntarily becomes the leader of the strike and ends up in prison. There, under the influence of drugs, he prevents a prisoner escape, which leads to his early release. The tramp tries to build an idyllic life with a girl whose father was shot during a demonstration. But the cycle of unemployment, job search and wrongful arrest cannot be stopped. The girl finds a job as a singer in a restaurant. Charlie gets a chance there too: as a waiter and singer. As a waiter he is a failure, but as a singer he proves to be a sensation - although he cannot sing properly, forgets the text and says something incomprehensible. Everything seems to be going well. Then the police show up to take away the girl who ran away from welfare. Charlie flees with her, in the final scene they walk towards the horizon together.
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