Modern Times (1936)
The Criterion Collection, 2010.
First Printing. Two-DVD Special Edition.
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 genius as a director of silent comedy. Two-DVD Special Edition features include:
Disc One:
- New, restored 2K-resolution digital transfer, created in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna
- New audio commentary by Charlie Chaplin biographer David Robinson
- Two new visual essays, by Chaplin historian John Bengtson and Jeffrey Vance
- New program 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
- Three theatrical trailers
Disc Two:
- All at Sea (1933), a home movie by Alistair Cooke featuring Chaplin and actress Paulette Goddard, with a new score by Donald Sosin and a new 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
ISBN: 9781604653526
Double DVD Disc Special Edition, 87 minutes, black & white, monaural, 1.33:1 aspect ratio. In case, with booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Lisa Stein that includes excerpts from Chaplin's writing about his 1930s world tour.
Previously owned and opened and in excellent condition.
Price: $20.00