The document provides a technical datasheet and analysis of Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film "Modern Times." It summarizes the plot, which is set during the Great Depression and focuses on Chaplin's character working in a factory. The analysis describes the industrial production process depicted in the factory and notes how working conditions have improved since the 1930s, such as banning child labor, establishing labor laws and agreements, limiting work hours, and providing job security and higher wages. It concludes by stating it was the author's first silent black-and-white film but they enjoyed it and found it helped illustrate the social science lessons.
2. TECHNICAL DATASHEET
O TITLE: Modern Times
O COUNTRY: the United States
O PRODUCER: United Artists
O DIRECTOR: Charles Chaplin
O SCREENWRITER: Charles Chaplin
O CINEMATOGRAPHER: Rollie Totheroh & Ira
Morgan
O COMPOSER: Charles Chaplin
O CAST: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry
Bergman, Chester Conklin, Stanley Standford, Hank
Mann, Louis Natheaux & Allan García.
O YEAR: 1936
O RUNNING TIME: 89’
3. WHEN DOES THE ACTION OF THE
FILM HAPPEN?
The action of the film happens in the
30’s, when the crisis of the Great Depression of
the United States is in full swing.
4. HOW IS THE FACTORY
ORGANISED?
It is divided up into three groups:
O Workers. Who carry out the production.
O Workers’ supervisors. Who watch out if
workers do their tasks.
O The boss. Which takes over the whole mill
and gives instructions to the workers.
5. WHAT ELEMENTS OF THE INDUSTRIAL
PROCESS CAN YOU SEE?
I can see all of them:
O Raw materials. Metal pieces workers work
with.
O Sources of energy which machines need.
O The workforce of workers.
O Capital investment to keep on producing goods
and improve the quality of the industry.
O Technology. All machines that help workers to
do their job.
O Management. The boss.
6. DESCRIBE THE WORK IN THE FACTORY
IS THERE DIVISION OF LABOUR?
O Workers, as robots, fulfill the instructions received
from the production boss. Meanwhile, supervisors
control that everything is OK. Employees suffer
deplorable conditions: they work long hours, have
little job security, earn low wages and are always
controlled by someone.
O It is supposed to be a division of labour.
However, it isn’t very clear. We just can
distinguish between the workers (technical
division of labour) and the boss (social division of
labour)
7. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WORKING
DURING THESE TIMES AND WORKING
TODAY
1929 TODAY
CHILDREN WORKING NO CHILDREN
WORKING
NO LABOUR
LAWS/AGREEMENTS
LABOUR AGREEMENTS
LONG HOURS
WORKING (12H)
NORMAL TIMETABLE
(8H MAXIMUM)
LOW WAGES HIGHER WAGES
FREE AND MASS
DISMISSALS
COMPENSATION FOR
DISMISSAL
LITTLE JOB SECURITY JOB SECURITY
REPRESSED STRIKES LEGAL STRIKES
8. MY OPINION
This is the first silent and black-and-
white movie I’ve ever watched. I guess because
of this or just because of the touch of humor that
Charles Chaplin put in, I really loved it.
Let’s hope we’ll watch more films in
Social Science lessons. From my point of
view, films help to easily understand what we’re
learning in class.
