A critique of Modern Times essays

A critique of Modern Times essays Charles Chaplin was an icon during the early part of the twentieth century, and even years after his death still revered by many as a comical genius. Yet, on reflection, few will know the man behind the tramp. The man who chose making people laugh as his quest in life, also delicately brought serious social and political issues to the attention of his audiences. The film which this paper critiques, Modern Times (1936), is on one hand an exuberant comedy, especially to viewers unaware of the severe reality of America during the age within which the film is set. Yet, on the other hand, the satirical aim of Modern Times was to present a political statement which many perceived in its day to be an abrasive attack on capitalism. This film, with all its slap-stick humor, in fact, is a very sensitive, serious political statement. This, although at the time denied to the press, was not as obvious as later works by Chaplin, such as his next film, the Great Dictator, which was an unconcealed reflection of his own views on the political situation during 1939. Originally titled The Masses, Modern Times has prompted the head of the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) J. Edger Hoover, to open a file on Charlie Chaplin and his affiliation and activities with friends, who were also considered to be radicals. These radicals included, to name but a few, one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, Albert Einstein, the intellectually astute British political figure, Harold Laski, and the author H. G. Wells. Modern Times, filmed from 1932 to 1936, is set during the years leading up and through the Great Depression era of the 1930s in America. The thesis of the film addresses several themes of the time, using various key elements of transition to the story line. The aim of this paper is to parse Modern Times into several individual arguments presented i...