Neighbourhood Film Nights: Third Thursdays each month, Free to all!

NEXT SCREENING - THURSDAY 20th SEPTEMBER 2026 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

MODERN TIMES (1936)

BBFC U (B&W, semi-silent)

Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times (1936) - Join Uxbridge Quakers for a classic movie night! Behind the iconic slapstick and mechanical mayhem lies Chaplin’s sharp, compassionate critique of industrial capitalism and alienation

Languages: English (part-talkie with sound effects, music, and limited spoken words) [1, 2]
Tone: satirical slapstick comedy, bittersweet romance, resilient optimistic warmth, sharp social criticism [1, 2]
Key Facts:
Year / Runtime: 1936 • 1hr 27m
Certification: BBFC rating: U (suitable for all)
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Drama
Setting: United States, bustling industrialized city, chaotic assembly-line factory, and a waterfront shantytown during the Great Depression [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Brief Synopsis:

Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 masterpiece, Modern Times: Famous for its visual humor and unforgettable roller-skating sequences, the film is far more than a simple comedy: it is a deeply human, compassionate reflection on the struggles of the working class during the Great Depression. As the Little Tramp battles assembly lines, automation, and social inequality, Chaplin offers a timeless commentary on human dignity, community, and resilience in a rapidly changing world. All are welcome to join us for the film, light refreshments, and an open conversation afterwards. 

Themes ,Context & Discussion

Beyond the Slapstick - Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times, and the Search for Human Dignity

​When Charlie Chaplin released Modern Times in 1936, the world was caught in the grip of the Great Depression and the rapid acceleraion of industrial automation. While audiences flocked to theaters expecting the effortless physical comedy of Chaplin’s beloved "Little Tramp," they were treated to something far more ambitious: a passionate, visual essay on how modern economic systems weigh upon the human spirit.

​To understand Modern Times, one must look at Chaplin’s own evolving socio-political worldview during the 1930s. Deeply moved by the widespread poverty he witnessed while traveling the globe, Chaplin engaged in discussions with leading thinkers, economists, and political figures of his day. Though he consistently rejected formal party labels or explicit ideologies, his sympathies were unapologetically leftist and humanist. He championed labor rights, expressed deep skepticism toward unchecked industrial capitalism, and consistently questioned systems that prioritized profit and efficiency over human well-being.

​Beyond his cinematic work, Chaplin’s personal life was increasingly marked by his explicit radical associations and defiant political stance. He maintained close friendships with prominent socialists, left-wing intellectuals, and outspoken radicals—ranging from author Upton Sinclair and playwright Bertolt Brecht to exiled German composer Hanns Eisler. During WWII and the post-war era, Chaplin openly supported Soviet-American friendship initiatives and aggressively campaigned for second-front anti-fascist efforts. Though he resisted joining any communist party, stating "I am not a Communist, but I am proud to say that I feel pretty pro-Communist" and later self-identifying as a political anarchist, his radical anti-capitalist rhetoric drew intense government hostility. J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI compiled a dossier on Chaplin exceeding nearly 2,000 pages, tracking his ties to socialist organizers. This relentless targeting by McCarthyite anti-communist paranoia eventually culminated in 1952, when the U.S. government effectively exiled Chaplin by revoking his re-entry permit while he was traveling abroad.

​Modern Times captures this tension brilliantly from its iconic opening shot: a flock of sheep driven through a pen, immediately cross-cut with workers pouring out of a subway station into a factory.

​Beyond the famous slapstick sequences—such as the Tramp getting swallowed by giant machine gears or being force-fed by a malfunctioning automated lunch machine—the film confronts several heavy social themes:

​Alienation and Automation: Chaplin portrays the factory assembly line not as progress, but as a site of mental and physical breakdown. The drive for maximum efficiency threatens to reduce human beings to mere extensions of the machinery they operate.

​Economic Injustice and Poverty: The narrative follows the Tramp and "The Gamin" (played by Paulette Goddard) as they attempt to build a modest life despite homelessness, unemployment, and constant surveillance by factory bosses and police.

​State Control and Criminalization of Want: The film highlights how easily poverty is criminalized. Simple acts of survival, or accidental involvement in labor demonstrations (such as the Tramp picking up a fallen red flag), lead directly to imprisonment.

​Yet, despite its dark undercurrents, Modern Times is fundamentally infused with hope and solidarity. The bond between the Tramp and the Gamin demonstrates that empathy, mutual support, and warmth remain resilient even within an indifferent system.

​For Quaker viewers and friends of Friends, the film speaks directly to core values of simplicity, peace, equality, and the inherent worth of every individual. It invites us to ask: How do we maintain our humanity and care for one another when economic and technological structures push us toward isolation?

​Join us for our screening and stay for a friendly discussion as we explore how Chaplin’s 1936 vision continues to mirror the challenges of our own modern times.