Thinking Activity : Zeitgeist of the Time: Modern Times and The Great Dictator

 Charlie Chaplin Modern times 1936

Modern Times (1936) is a silent comedy from Charlie Chaplin, using his iconic "Little Tramp" character. The movie satirizes the dehumanizing effects of modern industrialization at the time of the Great Depression. A factory worker cannot cope with the modern machines, breaks down, and then falls in love with a girl who is a fugitive. Together they face hardships and strive for a better life.

It is despite the rise of talkies that Chaplin refused to dialogue, using only music and sound effects. The film combines social criticism with humor, as highlighted by the famous scene of Chaplin on the assembly line. It's considered a timeless masterpiece reflecting modern struggles with alienation and mechanization.


The great Dictator 1940

The Great Dictator (1940) is a satirical comedy-drama film written, directed, and starring Charlie Chaplin. It marks his first true sound film and condemns Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, fascism, and antisemitism. Chaplin plays dual roles: a Jewish barber mistaken for a tyrannical dictator, and the dictator himself, modeled after Hitler. The film mocks Nazi leaders with characters like Adenoid Hynkel (Hitler), Garbitsch (Goebbels), and Benzino Napaloni (Mussolini). Famed for its scathing satire and Chaplin's now-famous speech calling for peace, the movie was a commercial success and remains one of the most important works in comedy and political cinema.



Modern Times and The Great Dictator - A Visual Study of Power, Conformity, and Manipulation
Frames from Modern Times:

Frame 1: A tightly packed herd of sheep being herded.
Frame 2: A mass of workers rushing into a factory.
Frames from The Great Dictator:
Frame 1: Chaplin as a dictator (Hynkel) with a child in a photoshoot.
Analysis:

1. Conformity and Power in Modern Times (Sheep and Workers):
Composition and Movement: In the first two frames of Modern Times, Chaplin shows how sheep and workers move in the same way. The sheep are bunched together and herded in a manner that is very similar to the workers in the factory. Both seem to have no individuality but rather form part of a greater machine. This is a reflection of Chaplin's critique of industrial society, where people become mere parts of the machine.

Metaphor: It is the sheep who represent workers, sharing qualities like obedience, and lack of personal decision-making. This idea links to the theme of Modern Times with the loss of individualism in the face of industrialization. Chaplin mocks the dehumanizing result of mass production by portraying the worker as sheep.

Semiotics: These frames work as a visual "code." On the surface, it just shows sheep and workers; however, symbolically speaking, it critiques how society forces people into conforming roles, stripping away one's unique identity.

2. Authority and Manipulation in The Great Dictator (Chaplin with Child):
Frame Analysis: One of the most important frames in The Great Dictator is when Chaplin, as dictator Hynkel, poses for a photo with a child. Such an image is a conscious manipulation by authoritarian leaders; they use children to pose as benevolent and caring. Associating with children gives leaders an image of hope and protection, which draws sympathy and diverts attention from their oppressive actions.

Images of Children: Most dictators and tyrants tend to use images with children in them to appear humanitarian. This is for a variety of reasons:

Image of Compassion: They need people to perceive them as figures that care for the future, which children represent as well.
Redirecting Attention: The people's attention from the repressive, oppressive policies that they implement to their "humane" side.

Hope and Continuity: The leaders want to present continuity; they are claiming that under their rule, safety and stability will be available for future generations.
Relationship Between the Two Films:
Both movies represent how power systems, industrial and political, utilize images for the control and manipulation of society. In Modern Times, workers are treated like machines; they have no personal freedom or individuality. The dictator in The Great Dictator uses the image of children for himself to seem gentle and caring, but the message is that he's authoritarian by nature. Both movies utilize some powerful visuals to critique the way those in power manage the public for their own maintenance of control.

Conclusion:
Chaplin, through Modern Times and The Great Dictator, visually emphasizes the dangers of conformity and manipulation in society. In Modern Times, he depicts workers as mere cogged machines in the industrial machine, while in The Great Dictator, authoritarian leaders use child imagery to veil their oppressive policies. Both works critique how those in power manipulate people—whether through industrial labor or political imagery—to maintain control. Chaplin smartly plays upon visual metaphors and semiotics to attract attention towards this struggle between individuality and forces bent on ripping it apart.