Movie Review of Two movies by Charles Chaplin 1. Modern Times 2. The Great Dictator

       As a part of the study of Modernist literature, we have seen two classic movies by Charlie Chaplin in order to understand the literature of Modern age in a proper way. These both movies are captures the picture of the social, political and economical condition of modern time. Chaplin was an American symbolist filmmaker.

1. Modern Times (1936)

     It is a comic satire on mechanical life of people because of the Industrialization. Machines control the life of human beings. There is the communist demonstration in which Chaplin  focus on the life of poor people and their struggles to survive in modern life. As he was a symbolist, movie starts with the image of 'Clock' (invisible remote control), which symbolize the mechanical life which controls the human life as we are bounded by time and days also like Sunday is compulsory holiday and on Monday  we have to work though we are so tired. In movie, Chaplin was factory worker (little tramp)in Assembly line, in which how he presents the mechanical life in comic way that man are not free to do anything, it also comments on the unemployment and financial condition of poor people ,as during Great Depression he presents it by the character of Ellen, poor, homeless and orphan girl who feed her sisters and father by stealing bananas this shows that how people forced to do crime because of poverty. We generally believe that only Indian writers or filmmakers shows the poverty of India, but when we read the world literature, we come to know about that all writers of world literature doing same thing, its only because we have lack of wide reading. Its narration is in silent era. The very next scene or frame, it symbolize the Sheeples  (people like sheep) who are running in crowd without any aim in life and don't have any individual identity which shows the aspect of nothingness.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

here in both the images , we can see how Chaplin begins movie and the sequences or frame of focus of camera on image create meaning that people became like sheep.
                                                                                
    Symbolism never dies because it give the large sense and and vast meaning. CCTV cameras in factory symbolize the control or watch on every people by the figure who are in power position, so people are no free anywhere but observe by someone as we are also observe through our use of social media. Even you are not free to enjoy nature. When Ellen said that she has no any house she lives everywhere , it gives the idea of the flow of things not permanence, we are camping on different places which is given by H. G Wells. After factory closed  he was in search of job which shows the unemployment of that time. The movie give the clear picture of that age. The last scene of movie is also symbolical in which both Ellen and Chaplin walking on the road to continue their journey of life.  Sadness and happiness never stay forever and it's don't have the end. There is never end of meaning of life, as it present the idea of nothingness and existential question about life. Thus,this movie present all modern ideas like Marxist, communist like it give the mirror image of that time.

2. The Great Dictator (1940)

         September 1, 1939 (Friday), it was the beginning of WWII, there was a poem of same title by W.H Auden. This movie coincidently released on same day and it is the Political satire on the Great Dictator Adolf Hitler. It is known as the Chaplin's first true sound movie , while all other movies by him are silent He was in double role in the movie one is Poor Jewish boy and other is great dictator of Tomainia Adenoid Hynkel . It is about the conflict between two communities Jews and Aryans. It also captures some war scenes as it came out in same time. Movie begins with war scenes and whole movies satire on political figures their actions and speeches and its repetition to show  people.In contemporary time we have political figures like Donald Trump who is similar like Hynkel who want to rule over the world that present when he play with balloon of world globe.
                                                                    Trump's idea 'to make America great again' , then we question that was America not great earlier? All salute that figures and in movie ,there is the statue of Rodins the thinker which show that thinking about the dictatorship of political figures.

   the last speech of this is very meaningful, important and famous also which given by poor Jewish barber who is caught as the Hynkel by mistake.   

     Here is the last speech in which poor barber talks about Democracy and unity  that the power which is taken by political figures from people is return to people. He said to be a natural men don't depend upon machines and Humanity is superior to all and told to soldiers fight for not slavery but for Liberty because Liberty never perish even men dies.

      So ,both movies are greatly captures the modern time through which we can understand the modern age and its literature too.