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 study major frames from the movie 'The Great Dictator' by Charlie Chaplin, which is based on the Dictatorship prevailing in the 20th century.
Introduction:-
The Great Dictator is an American anti-war political satire black comedy film, released in 1940, which was both acted and directed by Charlie Chaplin. It Satirises Adolf Hitler and Nazism and condemning anti-Semitism. It was Chaplin’s most successful film at the box office. He continued to make silent films and into the period of sound films, Chaplin made this his first true sound film.
In this film, Chaplin portrayed a Jewish barber who is mistaken for a tyrannical dictator. He plays up the charade and ultimately gives a speech in which he calls for peace and compassion. Chaplin, in a dual role, also played the fascist dictator named Hynkel who was modelled after Hitler. It shows the constant suffering of Jewish people(minority) because of the ego of their dictator to be 'Emperor of the World'.
Frame study:-
'The Great Dictator Is based on Dictatorship prevailing in the 20th century. The film opens with the mad desire of the dictator named Hynkel to be the dictator of the world and it ends with the speech of the Jewish barber who resembles Hynkel, in which he gives a message to spread equality, love, peace and happiness among all.
1. World War:
The story of the film has taken place in a period between two world wars. The film starts with the ending of the first world war in 1918.
Military services have been the first and foremost priority for any nation. To strengthen these services, technology has played and still plays an important role. During the first and second world war science technology became more powerful. On one hand it provides comfort to human life by the invention of medical sciences, aeroplanes, vehicles, and other important inventions which are useful for human beings in their day to day lives. But on the other hand there was the invention of Nuclear power which plays destructive power. So in both these world wars, nuclear power has been used on a large scale to kill the human race who were opposing them. Aeroplanes were also invented, for both to provide transportation services and to throw bombs through airway. This contrast of the Best and the Worst use of technology is well presented in the film.
These frames are representing what worst can be done by human beings to the human being during these two world wars. Charlie Chaplin has captured this contrast in a much deeper way to satirise the enmity and destruction of human beings.
This contrast is still being continued by the world. All the countries are continuously producing or buying weapons on a large scale. The whole world is now filled up with plenty of nuclear and atomic weapons. All the countries are buying or producing it to threaten the opposite or enmity country or continent, they are constantly having concern for the security of their nation, which has been increased in all three ways - Land, Air and Ocean. At the same time, we have a great threat for the upcoming situation. Now only a few or we can say that only one or two weapons(now existing weapons) can destroy the whole world within a blink of an eye. This invention is still being continued. So it paves a great threat for human peace and living.
2. Dictatorship:
Dictatorship stays at a centre of this film because it is wholly based on the whimsical decisions taken by a leader to keep his personal ego. They begin to believe that he is the only one who can be the dictator of the whole world, but ultimately at the end there can't be such thing. Yes, it can be possible for while but it can't be any longer. This idea of the previous century is capture by Charlie Chaplin when Hynkel plays with the ballon on which the whole world is picture (map of the world) but ultimately it blows at the end of the play.
Another frame of this kind is photo of Hynkel with a child.
Having photo with children can be considered ancient tradition which is also prevailing in the modern world. Political leaders or dictators have numerous photos with children to show how much concern they have towards children's welfare. They are playing politics with those who didn't even know what is it. If we look at the 21st century leaders, we would find plenty of the photos of such kind. Thai shows this tradition is constantly being inherited by leaders.
I hope this blog will help you to understand the concept of Dictatorship and problems of the society in a much better way. 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.
Thanks for visiting...
No comments:
Post a Comment