Charlie works in a factory at the assembly line, where he increasingly loses his mind because of the monotonous tasks and inhuman working conditions and is finally admitted to the mental hospital. After his release he promptly ends up in prison due to a misunderstanding. The amiable klutz also comes out of this situation through more luck than brains. He then meets an orphan girl living on the street and from then on they set off together to look for work, the next meal, and a home.
For the last time in Modern Times, the all-rounder with the iconic cane and the melon plays its iconic role of the «Tramp» with its irresistible charm and inventive comedy. In what is probably the film’s most famous scene, he gets caught in a huge cogwheel and thus symbolizes human helplessness in the struggle with the modern workplace. Despite the biting social criticism, the film, like Charlie himself, remains heartwarming and humorous.
Sophie Stirnemann, translated by Carlos Hartmann
