Modern Times (1936) (Blu-ray) (UK Import)

Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin’s last outing as the Little Tramp, puts the iconic character to work as a giddily inept factory employee who becomes smitten with a gorgeous gamine (Paulette Goddard). With its barrage of unforgettable gags and sly commentary on class struggle during the Great Depression, Modern Times—though made almost a decade into the talkie era and containing moments of sound (even song!)—is a timeless showcase of Chaplin’s untouchable genius as a director of silent comedy.

Specials

Restored 2K-resolution digital transfer, created in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Audio commentary from 2010 by Charlie Chaplin biographer David Robinson
Two visual essays, by Chaplin historians John Bengtson and Jeffrey Vance
Program from 2010 on the film’s visual and sound effects, with experts Craig Barron and Ben Burtt
Interview from 1992 with Modern Times music arranger David Raksin, plus a selection from the film's original orchestral track Two segments cut from the film
All at Sea (1933), a home movie by Alistair Cooke featuring Chaplin and actress Paulette Goddard, with a score by Donald Sosin and an interview with Cooke’s daughter, Susan Cooke Kittredge
The Rink (1916), a Chaplin two-reeler
For the First Time (1967), a short Cuban documentary about first-time moviegoers seeing Modern Times
Chaplin Today: “Modern Times” (2003), a program with filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Three theatrical trailers
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by film critic Saul Austerlitz and, for the Blu-ray edition, a piece by film scholar Lisa Stein that includes excerpts from Chaplin’s writing about his 1930s world tour
New cover by Sam Smith

Rezensionen

Lexikon des Int.​Films: "Eine berühmte sozial- und gesellschaftskritische Tragikomödie über den Menschen im Räderwerk der modernen Technik.​ Eine Tragikomödie von bitter-ironischer Schärfe; mit einfachsten Mitteln, viel Bildwitz und Galgenhumor gestaltet.​"