Chaplin's Modern Times was a silent film, an unusual spectacle in the emerging era of "talkies," or films with synchronized human voices. Chaplin felt that the art of cinema was already at its peak and that adding extra features such as voice acting into film would detract from the overall comedic experience. Chaplin's best-known character, "the Tramp", was an ideal example of how the portrayal of emotions and dialogue between characters could be done without a voice. It was not the lack of available technology that caused Chaplin to stick to the age-old tactic, but rather a protest against the so-called machinery of "progress" that had begun to rule the lives of humans in the movie. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Chaplin saw the machine age as a time of control and dehumanization. The factory where Charlie works is dark and depressing, with no windows or view of the outside world. The workers are covered in dirty grease, which means a harsh working environment. The factory's machines are large, dirty, crude devices capable of exerting enormous forces and which seem to dominate the humans like obsessive supervisors. The workers toil all day at mundane tasks, such as tightening two bolts on a metal plate, while the manager flips a lever to control the speed at which the workers must work. The company's attitude seems based solely on efficiency, without any concern for the well-being of workers. The boss allows a demonstration of an automated feeding machine that could replace lunchtime, and allows workers to continue their work while they eat. This proved inconvenient and humiliating for Charlie when the machine malfunctioned and he was forced to eat metal bolts and be repeatedly slapped with an ear of corn. Chaplin's use of dark imagery is a clever way of describing his aversion to mechanical automation without directly stating it. . It lets the public see what an automated society might look like in the future and allows them to form their own opinions on the progress of technology. Most viewers would come to the same conclusion, that technology should be governed by humans, not the other way around. Chaplin himself does not seem concerned with technology in the literal sense, as he uses it extensively to create his films. Rather, he fears the day when machines take a position of authority and begin to rule humans. An example of this reverse role play takes effect when the boss, appearing on a television screen, comes and tells one of the team leaders to increase the speed of the conveyor belts, thereby increasing the speed at which the workers must work. The effect of television dehumanizes the boss and gives the impression that an order emanates from within the machine itself. It's a metaphor for the day when computers give orders to humans and bring about a powerful, almost disturbing dystopian reality for the audience, exactly what Chaplin designed in this scene. The dark imagery and modest lifestyle throughout the film are reminiscent of the Great Depression, when the film was produced. The scene where the kid finds a rundown shack and says "it's not Buckingham Palace, but it will do", shows the standards the two lived by and how the kid would accept any place to live . The Tramp shows how life was just as hard forhim by deliberately trying to go to prison, because it was better than any home he'd had before. In this case, he had a roof over his head and meals to eat every day. But every time he left prison, he begged to go back because the outside world proved harsher than the conditions inside the prison, which were just as comfortable. The purpose of the human workers was questionable. The machines could perform complex tasks such as stamping metal and operate hundreds of pistons, ironically; all the assembly line workers had to do was tighten two bolts. Some viewers might ask, "Why can't machines do this?" » Chaplin must have wanted this work to be mundane to further support his belief that man would soon become obsolete and that his work would be permanently replaced by machines. The tramp, faced with a huge workload that was moving too fast for him, eventually goes crazy and tightens everything that resembles a bolt with wild fervor. He runs out of the factory and sees a woman with two buttons on her shirt and tries to tighten her breasts. This lands the tramp in a mental hospital and he stays there for several weeks. He comes out of this place in much the same way as before, but he is now unemployed. He eventually lands a job at a new factory and works with a metal stamping machine that can press metal into thin sheets. While helping his boss install the machine, he manages to crush his boss's pocket watch, which was a family heirloom. Charlie holds up the now very fine watch and his expression of surprise makes the audience laugh. It is a message of machine power and domination over humans; anything that gets in the way of the mechanical crusher will be flattened. The film takes on a happier note whenever the tramp isn't working on machines, especially after meeting the kid. They sit together and flirt in the grass, talking about a better life. A new dream scene appears, with the tramp and the kid living in a peaceful country house, having plenty of fresh milk and fruit for their meals. A cow comes to the door, stops in front of a bucket and milks itself. The scene dissolves and the two set about making their new lives a reality. Viewers will notice the lack of machines in the dream scene and the fact that the couple was much happier living a simple life, without computers or mechanical gadgets. Chaplin uses this contrast to his advantage and causes the audience to despise the dark and dreary machines more than ever. As technology continues to advance, some people are able to keep up with the pace of growth, but others are left behind in the confusion. blurring of events. In the factory scenes, Chaplin seems unable to learn how to use the machines properly, and no one around him wants to teach him. It seems that everyone knows how to operate complex machines, because the workers hired at the factory gate received no training before being hired. Chaplin gives the message that sometimes advances in technology inevitably exclude some people from society. It's best to slow down development rates, as this will give people time to adapt and integrate with the technology. When a person has been out of the technology field for too long, they will have a hard time catching up, because technology themes are often cumulative. The suppression of advanced technology is seen when Chaplin chooses to only use music in the realm of technology. the background sound of the film and..