Hello Friends,
This blog is my response to the task assigned to us by our Prof.Dr.DilipSir, M K Bhavnagar University, this includes study of frames from the film of Charlie Chaplin in the film Modern Times, so read and enjoy, Happy Learning!
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin 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 most important figures in the history of the film industry. 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.
Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, edited, starred in, and composed the music for most of his films. He was a perfectionist, and his financial independence enabled him to spend years on the development and production of a picture. His films are characterised by slapstick combined with pathos, typified in the Tramp's struggles against adversity. Many contain social and political themes, as well as autobiographical elements. He received an Honorary Academy Award for "the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century" in 1972, as part of a renewed appreciation for his work. He continues to be held in high regard, with The Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator often ranked on lists of the greatest films of all time.
Films by Charlie Chaplin:
The Kid (1921)
A Woman of Paris (1923)
The Gold Rush (1925)
The Circus (1928)
City Lights (1931)
Modern Times (1936)
The Great Dictator (1940)
Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
Limelight (1952)
A King in New York (1957)
A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)
☆ MODERN TIMES
Modern Times is a 1936 American silent comedy film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin in which his iconic Little Tramp character struggles to survive in the modern, industrialized world. The film is a comment 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.
The clock tells the importance of time in human life, we are all slaves of time, we have to value our time or else life may become very difficult to survive.
The clock is shown in the beginning of the film to tell us that time is very precious and we should make the best use of time that is given to us.
"Time and tides wait for none."
This type of Certificate is a proof that the film is original, legal and universal.
Many of us like to eat snacks while watching a film, so have some snacks and watch Modern Times film and enjoy.
In this picture, the line signifies the central theme of the film, how man suffers a lot in search of job, how man's life is always in threat while working in industries, in midst of all this a man longs for happiness, and a factory worker, Charlie Chaplin finds the ultimate happiness when he meets gamin and they love each other.
This picture tells us the reality that many a times machines are much larger in size and capacity and with little carelessness may lead to the destruction of human life.
Here we can see Charlie Chaplin in the role of a factory worker, and the central character in the film Modern Times. This tells us that however big or small our role in life is, we must do our best.
Here we can see that how strictly the workers are treated and observed and not even allowed to relax but to simply work as slaves and like machines without any feelings or emotions.
Here we can see that how sometimes workers are captured inside the machines and may even lose their lives or may lead to major injuries, pain and suffering.
Here also we see that how the humans have to work with the machines in very dangerous conditions and they are also paid very less and the profit is earned by the owners at the cost of the lives of the poor people.
Here we see the father of Gamin and other two daughters who is unemployed and very tensed about his three daughters, he is very sad and quite very much worried for his plight. He represents the common man having a family and who is unemployed, tensed that a man without any source of income, it's very difficult to survive, one is helpless in such a situation.
In this frame we see that the eldest daughter who loves her father, sometimes inspite of all the difficulties, if a person is able to survive then the only reason is LOVE, here we see that a father is loved by his three daughters.
In this frame we see the three daughters who are very safe, comfortable, relaxed in the company of their loving father, it's the presence of a father that makes banana more sweeter, satisfies the hunger and gives a feeling of a home and family.
In this frame we can see how the two girl children and their elder sister are also working very hard to fill the stomach, to get the daily bread, life becomes a burdensome for this children, in present time also in India we find children who at the age of studying they are doing child labour due to poverty.
So we can see that even after so many years of the film, the things are same as they were before. This shows how much progress we have made that children still have to workhard instead of going to the schools.
In this frame we find the most painful situation, a daughter who is watching her father but he is no more, the life comes to a standstill, as if it's the end of the world, when the only supporter leaves the world forever.
"For the world you may be one person, but for one you are the world."
This are the feelings of a person for their loved ones, words are not enough to express the love a girl that she has for her father, and a death of a father creates a vacuum which may never be filled whatsoever comes next.
This frame depicts the face expressions of gamin when her father is no more, it indicates loss of sense, as if the blank memory, as if the world has come to a standstill, fear, something important is lost but a feeling that tells as if everything is lost, trauma of how suddenly the things change, something that is unbearable and unexpected, a sudden stroke which makes one lifeless for a while, but one has to keep going, the only message that life and time gives, because there are others for whom we have to live, we are all connected and dependent directly or indirectly. Life goes on and so we must.
This frame tells how a wedge is in the hand of Charlie and the ship has left the harbor. This tells us that how a giant thing is connected with a small thing. Here we see that Charlie fails in doing his job but that doesn't prevent him from doing something else.
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."
This tells us that it's better to do something rather than sitting and doing nothing, even if we fail at least what important is that we tried to do it, it gives us experience, we will learn something from it. And infact,
"Failures are stepping stones of success."
This frame shows the coincidental meeting of two unknown persons who went on to become lovers. This shows how fate makes the two lovers meet, helps them to connect for a beautiful love story as if a fairytale. For lovers, even the Earth becomes a heavenly place.
"We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason."
This frame shows how a young girl is pulled by a male police. It's a disrespect of a woman, although it's also true that in those days woman police weren't there. So this shows the importance of woman in each and every field, so as to support, protect women in the society and help them to progress and develop, to secure, to guard them from such an embarassing situations. Here even if woman has done some crime but still she deserves a respect, so in present times we do have women not only in police but the many fields health care, education, etc. So for the development of a nation, it's very important to support the women, to help them to develop, progress.
"Wherever a women is respected, there blooms the flowers of success, prosperity and happiness."
This frame shows how a woman takes the risk of her own life in order to save her lover. We find the courage, bravery, of woman in this picture. So it tells that we all need one another at one or another point in life, so it's very important to help each other to live a more meaningful, joyful life.
This frame shows the happiness as a result of love between two lovers. So amidst all the struggle that one faces in order to connect two ends, a struggle of survival, to find jobs, to bear the pains of odd jobs, the only source of happiness is the love of our loved ones in this mechanic world.
This picture shows the crowds of people going to get the job, but very few are selected for the job, this reality is also seen in our present times also, that out of millions of entries, very few of them are selected. This is the harsh reality of life and to survive in this competitive world, one needs to be very very strong mentally as well as physically also. Challenges are what makes us real heroes, it's important to find our place in this world.
"A diamond is merely a chunk of coal that did well under pressure."
This frame tells us how sometimes man is caught up in his own inventions, so if science has benefits to make our work more easier, accurate, effective so it has also it's own limitations too. A little bit of carelessness may lead to a disastrous results as seen in the frame above. We are becoming slaves of machines and we cannot imagine our life without machines but it's very important to be utmost careful while handling any of them because even human beings are not perfect so we should not expect this from machines.
This frame shows how a person is caught in a machine but still the kindness of another person to feed him. So when machines fail to work, there only human beings can help one another to overcome the problems, to overcome the hurdles, errors, and to continue with life. We all are meant to live for one another and not individually. We cannot survive alone, we all need one another. Here we see a small worker is feeding his senior, so the boss needs to be good to his employees because someday he may need his employees.
"Sword and needle as equal importance,
According to need and time,
So respect each one."
This frame shows Chaplin in the role of an actor as singing and dancing, so is our life, it gives us different roles to play at different times and we have to play our part well. From a factory worker to a singer and dancer, life gives shows us various colours, some are bright others may be gloomy but remember that stars shine the best in the darkness. We have seen Chaplin doing his best whatever work he finds and that is more important than success.
"Thou didst thy's best that is success."
This is the last frame of the film "Modern Times", it shows how the company of each other help them to go through the long roads, unknown roads and the life ahead. The journey of life becomes more easier with the company of our loved ones and helps us to cross the long roads, difficulties and all that comes our way. This reminds me of a beautiful hindi song which is very appropriate to this frame, so read and enjoy the song in the video given below the song lyrics.
"Chaahe dukh ho, chaahe sukh ho
Dil ne tujh ko hi pukaara
Tune hum ko hai banaaya
Tune hum ko hai sanwaara
Jahaan ko to rab ka hai, humein tera hai sahaara
Bas teraa saath ho, chaahe jo baat ho
Tere kehne se kar jaayenge
Hum mar jaayenge.."
2,230 Words.
1. "Charlie Chaplin." - Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 29 June 2001, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin. Accessed 21 Apr. 2021.
2. "Modern Times (film)." - Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 14 Apr. 2021, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Times_(film). Accessed 21 Apr. 2021.
3. Modern Times. Directed by Charlie Chaplin , performances by Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard . 1936.