Modern Times - Crit

Modern times

                                      The movie “ modern times “ written , directed and scored   by Charlie Chaplin in 1932 is a satirical comedy   of   the times during the “great depression”. Chaplin's movie provides an analysis of the human condition during some of the lowest points of American history. It is a   film   about the nature of modern industry, about the endeavors of an individual in a mass society, and about the life of all people in modern times. If Charlie represents the human condition in modern times, then   we see him basically as a helpless being-- dominated by a world of machines, pushed around by authorities and bureaucratic institutions, victimized by an economy over which he does not have the slightest control, and deprived of any   understanding of the world in which he and everyone else is trying to secure some sort of happiness.
Technology has traditionally been interpreted as the human way of harnessing the forces of nature for the purpose of making human life easier . The Industrial Revolution in particular was always seen as a major step in the progress toward the control of human beings over their world and their destiny. Major events of the 20th century and what it did to the country itself makes it very debatable .The massive mechanized slaughters of World War I provided a foretaste of how badly people can be victimized by their own industrial products.
"A   story of industry, of individual enterprise, of humanity crusading in the pursuit of happiness” is what the first of the visuals reads   . The phrase “ pursuit of happiness” directly   picked out of the “ American declaration of independence” suitably describes the tramp’s continuous search for   happiness , peace , reconciliation with life and primarily a foothold in the society so stricken by the economy . Throughout the movie , the epic character “ tramp” goes through life with difficulty dodging the problems   that a depression struck country hurls at him. Chaplin's...