Thinking Activity - The Modern Times Movie

 Thinking Activity: The Setting of 20th Century Literature

   This Blog is a response to the thinking activity on 'Understanding the Zeitgeist of the 20th Century:From Modern Times to the Era of Great Dictators(Movies)' given by our professor Dr. Dilip Barad Sir.

Frame study of Charlie Chaplin s movie 'The Modern Time '.

  

 The Modern Times :-

Modern Times is a 1936 American part-talkie satirical romantic black comedy film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin in which his iconic Little Tramp character struggles to survive in the modern, industrialised world. The film is a commentary on the desperate employment and financial conditions many people faced during the Great Depression — conditions created, in Chaplin's view, by the efficiencies of modern industrialization. The movie stars Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, Tiny Sandford and Chester Conklin. It is notable for being the last time that Chaplin portrayed the Tramp character and for being the first time Chaplin's voice is heard on film.

Chaplin's Modern Times criticises the growing industrial and mechanical nature of society through hyperbolic actions by the main character and varying reactions thereafter.

Directed by - Charlie Chaplin

Written by - Charlie Chaplin

Produced by - Charlie Chaplin 

Charlie Chaplin:-

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. KBE (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered one of the film industry's most important figures. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, and encompassed both adulation and controversy.

In this movie there is a very deep meaning  that we can see that people in the movie represent the labourers of the factory and also working class people. The bosses of the factories want to gain more and more profits and that's why they give more pressure on labourers for work and bosses treat their labour like machines.

 

Through the movie we can understand that the Industrial people or rich people are becoming more and more rich and on the other side poor people or common man are becoming more poor. 

Frame:-1

In this Frame the quote ' Modern Times' "A story of industry, of individual enterprise - humanity crusading in the pursuit of happiness." This quote shows us the condition of the workers and their scheduled work according to their master's order. It suggests the industrial revolution and after that machines took the place of man and people started working like machines. In the Movie Workers have to complete their tasks in a given time because they have too much value. Nowadays people's lives are controlled by watches. They planned everything according to the watch. This watch also shows what the 20th century's people were facing.

Frame:-2

This image is the opening scene of the movie. These above two frames are showing the similar situation of the sheeps and people of that time.This is concerned with the theme of dehumanisation. .In modern times , the extra excess of Industrialisation caused the dehumanisation of humankind. They are symbolised as sheep. Many people were roaming like sheep without direction.

  

Frame:-3

In this frame we can see that the director was looking at the workers. After looking on he also used to have them command. If we think we can realise that in today's time when workers are doing their work, the owner and the manager also look at them. They keep on looking at workers and keep them alerting that if they don't do it well then they have been fired. Here we can clearly see that technology, science, and machines are used to control life. while the main motive of the advancement in technology is to make the life of the people easier but here instead of giving freedom its controlling life.

Frame :-4

He working in machine industry.They all are working like machine as well.we can not see the freedom of workers.they became a slaves of machine even though machine made by a man.Charlie try to keep up with mind numbing repeatation of balts that must be tightenedas they make thire way to him on the conveyer belt.

Frame:-5

Exploitation of workers. Workers should not waste their time for lunch and they should continuously work. 

Frame:-6

Chaplin criticised the government who didn't allow people to ask for their right.When someone tried to break down the system that time political party took some actions against them to stop them and set an example of not doing and asking for right.And people felt fear and stopped doing that.

Frame:-7

This the female character of the movie.we can see that in those time people were jobless.so the girl became thief.she stole the bananas and feed his two sisters and father also because he was also jobless.she she has a dream to live life with facility.This dream became fulfill for a few time when Charlie got the job in the department store .

Frame:- 8

 The Hope Interestingly, the movie ends with dawn. The couple was walking on the path. In that scene mountains symbolise that now no matter which type of difficulties may come in our way, we are ready to face and overcome them and surely it will pay off and will bring changes in the modern times.

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GIF:-5

Photos:-6

Video:-1