the film icon would depict a similar subject, was deeply embarrassed that Tobis Film would sue Chaplin, and was never part of the case. The film did attract criticism for being almost completely silent, despite the movie industry having long since embraced the talking picture. Chaplin famously feared that the mystery and romanticism of the Tramp character would be ruined if he spoke, and feared it would alienate his fans in non-English speaking territories. His future films, however, would be fully fledged "talkies" – although without the character of the Little Tramp. Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance has written of the reception and legacy of this classic comedy, Modern Times is perhaps more meaningful now than at any time since its first release. The twentieth-century theme of the film, farsighted for its time—the struggle to eschew alienation and preserve humanity in a modern, mechanized world—profoundly reflects issues facing the twenty-first century. The Tramp's travails in Modern Times and the comedic mayhem that ensues should provide strength and comfort to all who feel like helpless cogs in a world beyond control. Through its universal themes and comic inventiveness, Modern Times remains one of Chaplin's greatest and most enduring works. Perhaps more important, it is the Tramp's finale, a tribute to Chaplin's most beloved character and the silent-film era he commanded for a generation. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: 1998: AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies – #81 2000: AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Laughs – #33 2007: AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – #78 The Village Voice ranked Modern Times at No. 62 in its Top 250 "Best Films of the Century" list in 1999, based on a poll of critics. In January 2002, the film was voted at No. 58 on the list of the "Top 100 Essential Films of All Time" by the National Society of Film Critics. The film was voted at No. 74 on the list of "100 Greatest Films" by the prominent French magazine Cahiers du cinéma in 2008. In the 2012 Sight & Sound polls, it was ranked the 63rd-greatest film ever made in the critics' poll and 20th in the directors' poll. In the earlier 2002 version of the list the film ranked 35th among critics. In 2015, Modern Times ranked 67th on BBC's "100 Greatest American Films" list, voted on by film critics from