Modern Times (1936)

"A story of industry, of individual enterprise - humanity crusading in the pursuit of happiness."

Modern Times is a commentary on modern industrialization and the struggles of the working class during the Great Depression as ordinary people attempted to adjust to changing working conditions. Its Chaplin's first "talkie" and the last time he will ever play his iconic Tramp character. Regarded very highly as both comedically hilarious and politically incisive, Modern Times was a box office success thought not as much so as City Lights.

I find it to be oddly applicable to today's ever more automated times. I am also struck by how, during the assembly line sequence, Chaplin can't stop himself from performing his highly routinized job as I often feel similar after coding for long hours.
Modern Times is, like City Lights, a timeless classic that remains comedic and relevant. It packs a punch that most films today can only dream of. You would think that the silent treatment of his style would get old, yet it bears a charm that manages to earn the step backwards. It almost makes you wish we still had Chaplin with us here today to provide us with his apt, comedic commentary on these new modern times.