DVD Pick -- Modern Times

Directed by Charles Chaplin. February 1936, USA. Rated "Approved": 87 min.

(Originally published in buzz magazine on 11/29/2009)

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to name an actor more internationally recognizable than Charlie Chaplin. The funny little man with big shoes, a narrow mustache and a bowler hat stands as the foremost symbol for film comedy — and for good reason — because his movies still resonate with humor and meaning today. Modern Times is not just 87 minutes of nonstop hilarity; it shows how assembly-line mass production can make machines out of the people who use them. And don’t let the movie’s age fool you; Chaplin’s infectious physical comedy transcends time.