Thinking Activity
Understanding Zeitgeist of the 20th Century: From Modern Times to the era of Great Dictators
This blog is prepared as a part of a thinking activity assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Department of English, MKBU to understand the Zeitgeist of the 20th Century: From Modern Times to the Era of Great Dictators. In this blog, I am going to do a frame study of the film 'Modern Times By Charles Dickens' in the context of the 20th Century.
Introduction:
Modern Times is an American silent film, released in 1936, written and directed by Charlie Chaplin in which his iconic Little Tramp character struggles to survive in the modern, industrialised world. It is regarded as the last great silent film.
The film was set during the Great Depression, centres on a luckless factory worker (played by Chaplin) who finds himself so unnerved by trying to cope with the modern equipment he must operate that he suffers a breakdown. After being institutionalised, he is freed, only to be mistaken for a communist agitator. He is arrested but released after preventing a jailbreak. He subsequently falls in love with a young girl (Paulette Goddard) whom he met when she was running from the police after stealing a loaf of bread. The factory worker and the girl have many adventures together as they evade the police and struggle for a better life. Eventually they escape for the open road. 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.
Frame Study:
'Modern Times' is all about the industrial world and its effects on working class people and their constant struggle which ends with the open road which shows the ending hope for well being. If we look at the film in this perspective, in the movie many frames directly tell the major ideas which are the major characteristics of the 20th century.
1. Mechanisation of human being under the influence of Industrialism:
This is the very first frame - beginning frame of the movie. By th usage of clock Charlie Chaplin conveys that idea of the life of human being and their working time. This is not just a clock because it determines the dynamics of the lives of people. In the industrial world life becomes artificial. Everyday there is same routine and also there is nothing new to do. By this picture he wanted to present how human lives are mechanically controlled or we can say people "Slaves of Clock", which take us to the rise of industrial and that's why mechanical world of 20ty century.
2. Mobocracy and Dictatorial Democracy:
This is the very first frame - beginning frame of the movie. By the usage of clock Charlie Chaplin conveys that idea of the life of human beings and their working time. This is not just a clock because it determines the dynamics of the lives of people. In the industrial world life becomes artificial. Everyday there is the same routine and also there is nothing new to do. By this picture he wanted to present how human lives are mechanically controlled or we can say people "Slaves of Clock", which take us to the rise of industrial and that's why mechanical world of 20ty century.
This is another example of Dictatorship. Where a single man- president of the industry is controlling the whole factory. We can say he is ruling over his factory. They are constantly watching over workers.
3. Mind, Money and muscles:
In earlier times, physically strong men ruled over. But with the advent of technology, this hold is possessed by people with mental strength. Now Machines do everything and there is no need for men to show physical strength as such. So now mind and money came into power. Even in the 21st century, if we talk about this, technology has grown more and more. After the industrial revolution of the 20th century, we have the Digital revolution in the 21st century, which gave us a way to do work remotely also. In COVID pandemic of 2019, the whole world was imprisoned at home because of the fear of spreading the virus. Among this dire condition only because of digital media we were able to work without hurdles, to connect with all virtual. So the mind has become stronger than muscles.
With the help of CCTV, supervision can be done sitting in a single chamber or place. After the invention of these types of watching technology it has become easier to see whether everything is done properly or not and all the instructions can be given instantly. At the same time it plays a dangerous role to control human actions by having constant watch over them.
4. Control on individual privacy:
The invention of CCTV is being boon to all of us to have constant watch. It helps us in each and every aspect of life. The major aim of these cameras is to have watch on Criminal activities or wrong doings. With its help it becomes easy to find proofs. At the same time it becomes dangerous for individual privacy. Each and every place is covered by cameras, so human privacy is also being controlled by the use of machines. This is what Charlie Chaplin observes and puts it comically
This frame advocates the same thing where human privacy is not lying even in washroom or toilet. In this sequence worker just smokes in toilet and have some leisure after long working hours. But in toilet also CCTVs are fitted and president is having constant watch on what workers are doing in toilet - means whether they are having leisure or not. And if yes, then he instructs him to work instead of smoking in working hours.
This frame advocates the same thing where human privacy is not lying even in the washroom or toilet. In this sequence the worker just smokes in the toilet and has some leisure after long working hours. But in the toilet also CCTVs are fitted and the president is having constant watch on what workers are doing in the toilet - means whether they are having leisure or not. And if yes, then he instructs him to work instead of smoking during working hours.
5. Job security:-
Job security has been the prominent part of individual life, which can provide the basic human needs. But during the twentieth century workers were not getting sufficient wages or they were thrown out of the factory. The downfall of the factory also become the reason for this.
Here Charlie Chaplin presence anti-capitalist or Marxist theory.
6. Basic Human needs: Food/Shelter/Clothing:-
Though Frame study is the study where frozen frames should be studied. but I have used gif to give accurate analysis of this particular frame. Because of capitalist system many workers lose their jobs and there was no money with them so that they need to steal food for livelihood. The Central character of the play- worker doesn't have home so finds home in prison. When the girl was kept for steak a piece of bread he admits that not she be he has stolen bread. The reason behind it was to get place to live. After the meeting of that girl and the worker, she found a home for them to live in because they were longing or dreaming for their own home. This home is made of of woods which breaks at the every single moment. But they feel happy here. Really the condition of people can make them to be satisfied in whatever they have.
7. Idea of Welfare State:-
Welfare state is based on the welfare for citizen of the country which gives social security. This idea is presented when after the death of the worker his daughters was taken under the government custody which will provide them their livelihood.
8. Open Road - Hope:
The movie ends with the open road which shows that in spite of all these hurdles, we have to keep hope for good in future. This frame is very much important then, now and forever, to eep hope for good after whatever wrong has happened in our life.
Between the unending hurdles and problems this long road of hope always helps us to keep living, which is also the ideas of Charlie Chaplin himself that we can say in his life.
So I have studied these frames from the movie 'Modern Times'. All these frames depict major incidents and ideas which had taken place during the 20th century. So by this kind of studies, we come to know how literary art captures phenomena of a particular time. Charlie Chaplin is one of the best literature artists who presents bitter realities of the time in which he lived. He has vehemently criticised socio-economic-political conditions in a comic way.
I hope this blog will help you to understand the social, economical and political conditions of the 20th century.
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