Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times
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Charlie Chaplin’s modern times
Charlie Chaplin has been in the movie industry for a long period and his involvement in this industry has left remarkable strides in the whole industry. Being American he affected a very varied audience even to the European audience whereby even among French speakers there is a movie magazine simply called Charlie. It is through his efforts and film genius ability that he presents us with the film modern times which was produced in 1936. This film is a comedy and it is through the concept of being funny that Charlie presents to the American audience the socialist critique of the society of the 20th century. The movie portrays a factory worker whose employer keeps on trying to make him more productive even when it is futile and he cannot do any more work. The employer is majorly focused on the results and the production, however, does not consider the rights, the feelings, and the conditions of the workers.
The employer due to his capitalistic mind and his desire for performance even makes sure that the workers can eat while they are still working and this to a big extent violates their basic rights as human beings. The film is majorly dominated by machines and these machines have large cogs. This can be said to be a way to display and portray the modern world. Due to the pressure and a lot of work with very few minutes of resting the factory worker gets a nervous breakdown. Even though this worker is taken to hospital he gets out with no employment. There is also a scene whereby he eats food in a restaurant and he is unable to pay and therefore he is arrested. At first, he does not like prison however with time he begins to develop a liking of this place because it provides for his needs like food.
The same factory worker also joins a rally for workers who were denied their rights by their employers and in this march, he is also arrested again as the police claim that he is the leader of the multitude which was causing chaos and unrest as they protested. Chaplin’s partner is called Paulette Goddard. She portrays a young woman caught in the unfairness of the world whereby she is trying to help her siblings who have been caught by the authorities from her. She suffers in trying to get them and this a way of showing how the modern world is not fair most of the time because she is also an orphan.
Ellen is also a character and she tries to steal bread because she was starving. When she tries to steal this bread she is caught by the police who only cared about the law and order and never looked into the needs and the issues which faced society. It is during her period when she is arrested that Chaplin meets her and he helps her. As he tried to help her they fall in love. They move in together and even though they are happy together their home is not in the best condition. This is the house that Ellen finds for them both.
Ellen cannot find a job and therefore in the struggle to find a new job she finds herself dancing to people in clubs to make sure she gets some financial support to keep her going. As she gets this job Chaplin is in prison and finds it very difficult to manage. At the end of it, all ellen also is arrested and she is in prison for the offense of stealing a loaf of bread.
In conclusion, we can say that this movie shows how it is very difficult for ladies to prosper at that certain time in society and this is, therefore, a difficult time for them. It also shows the struggles and the issues that Chaplin goes through. It is a great film.
Reference
Chaplin modern times – Bing video. (n.d.). Www.bing.com. Retrieved March 25, 2021, from https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=chaplin+modern+times&docid=608038404962978944&mid=7680CA6B8522E3A270E97680CA6B8522E3A270E9&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
