Modern Times was created in 1936 and was produced a decade after the introduction of sound in cinema. As it is one of the latest silent films, there are records of Chaplin mentioning the choice that he made. Behind this final decision were several factors- that he didn't want his American audience to hear his British accent, he feared that the consistency of his character 'Tramp' might be lost, but mostly was an artistic choice to convey the message more effectively to the audience- as he mentions in an interview that 'he is trained to mime'. Although the film may be categorized as a 'silent film', it has its scores composed by Charlie Chaplin himself with the help of several musical professionals, such as David Raskin. The music composition would mostly happen like this, according to his letter to Chuck Berg- Chaplin would come up with several tunes, and Raskin would make it 'happen'. Chaplin would then offer feedback such as 'the melodies should move up rather than down'. His contributions led to the public recognizing him as one of the contributors to the scores. The soundtrack that plays in the iconic ending scene was later added lyrics by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons later on(1954), and its first version with lyrics sung by Nat King Cole. It was later re-made by numerous artists including Michael Jackson(1997).
The ending scene implies its message to the people of poverty, during the age of the Great Depression suffering from serious unemployment issues and economic failure- although it is somewhat escapist as it is 'running away' from the harsh reality. Although it may not be a realistic conclusion, it appears somewhat childish, and thus, hopeful and innocent. This is how the final scene was written in the script-
“The only two live spirits in a world of automatons. They really live. Both have an eternal spirit of youth and are absolutely unmoral. Alive because they are children with no sense of responsibility, whereas the rest of humanity is weighted down with duty. Spiritually free. There is no romance in the relationship. Really two playmates—partners in crime, comrades, babes in the woods.”
What makes Modern Times a timeless masterpiece after nearly a century past since its public release? Although its specific background- The Great Depression influenced the film to have a strong political message and dark humor, poverty, and unemployment issues are topics that we are not alien of. I attempt to respect his message and artistic choices of delivering while translating it into a more 'modern' language. Several ways of doing so were-
Try inserting an alternative version of the score, which are later version with lyrics. I would have to decide whether to use the one from Nat King Cole or Michael Jackson depending on what may fit better.
I believe there are multiple cinematic montages of the protagonists running away from their reality, with their loving partner. However, I vision keeping the protagonists in the age range of their 30s-50s, which communicates as working ages. Such footages I could remember are of teenagers doing so, such as The End of the FXXking World(2017). I plan to ask my peers and professor for more recommendations.
Even though the implementation of dialogue has become almost essential to modern films, I imagine it to be minimal in this re-make. This is to respect the artistic decisions of Chaplin and to attempt to convey the final message without the use of more literal devices.
*And I remember my professor mentioned the homage to a popular song, with the lines of 'What's the use of trying' that the Gamin says to the Tramp. I need to ask them what it was because I failed to search for it.
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