So, Summer's here, which means that I have time to actually watch movies. To celebrate, and to combat the Ayn Rand madness that seems to have cropped up in the culture recently, I decided to watch this for the first time (on Blu!). If this movie proves anything, it's that Chaplin is a much better philosopher than Rand, and he has a philosophy that remembers that people have lives to live that take place outside of the market culture, and it's that life that the market needs to serve.
The biggest laugh for me is probably when The Tramp picks up the flag that fell off of the lumber truck and he accidentally ends up leading a strike and getting arrested (again!). The roller skating scene is pretty jaw-dropping, as well.
There's just so much to talk about with this movie, but for me it just boils down to Chaplin's warmth in the face of an increasingly mechanized culture. The Tramp is essentially The Doctor of the silent era, there to remind his viewers that life is there to live, and there are good things that are supposed to happen in the face of all the dread. It's hard not to smile when watching this film.
