Sir Charlie Chaplin has always been with me in my journey to explore the world of cinema. Whether it was to enjoy Modern Times as a kid or to understand it as an adult. Thanks to my father who introduced me to this genius, the maestro of entertainment.
Since it's the birthday of the greatest and the most popular cinema personal Sir Charlie Chaplin, here are some of his most exceptional works that I think people should see and think about. Just to clear things up, the films I'm going to mention are some of his best works. Although there are better films too but these films made an impact and to me are still relevant after decades.
My very first choice would be 'Modern Times'. Modern Times is one of his most famous works. This film portrays a poor man trying to meet his needs by going all the way through the new industrial revolution. The time when workers weren't considered to be humans, ironically they aren't now either. The making and performance of this film altogether were great but the subtle aspect of this film that grows is how this film criticized the infrastructure of the industrial revolution and its effect on humankind, which is very much political.
My second choice from his filmography would be 'The Great Dictator'. I mean what can I say about this film, except it is a work of art? Playing a version of Adolf Hitler and a Jewish barber trying to escape execution was not an easy task. And Sir Charlie Chaplin pulled it smoothly. This film focuses on how a dictatorship shapes everything and how easily things can change with enough good intentions and courage. Apart from stellar performance, the dialogue writing in this film, especially the climax monologue was bone-chilling. One should watch this film at least twice.
My last but not least entry to this list would be 'A King in New York'. People ask me how could a film made decades ago be relevant still. And I show them Charlie Chaplin films. A King who frauded his people and flew away to New York to seek shelter. Sounds very familiar, isn't it? Well, it is what it is. Now as the monarch is living in New York, he eventually comes across a leftist kid whose parents were captured by the US government for being a communist. We see a conflict of ideologies in their conversations and a concept of freedom respectively. A fun fact is, the leftist kid who argues with Sir Charlie Chaplin in the film is Sir Charlie Chaplin's son.
Now, there are so many more films by Sir Charlie Chaplin to see, I'd say every single one. As every film of his covers a different aspect of life, a different taste of nature. Like there's The Kid, The Gold Rush, The Circus, City Lights, The Champion, Limelight, and more. And that's the thing about him, he is not just some classic director. He is politically open and influential personnel. He doesn't just entertain, he inspires. As he inspired me to watch more and more films in life. He is not a man, he is God. Now that I see modern cinema all I ever think is that it lacks the vision he had, and I hope someday, some director will arrive with courage enough to speak what he thinks and feels, to have the vision like him.
~ Subhodeep Chakraborty
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