Analysis of the Unique Styles of Chaplin’s Films in the 1920s-1930s

Taking “City Lights” and “Modern Times” as Examples

Authors

  • Qilong Wang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/n4eek308

Keywords:

Charles Chaplin; Film style; Hollywood; Economic crisis; 1920s-1930s.

Abstract

Charles Chaplin is recognised as a master of comedy, and his unique film style is widely discussed. However, the formation of his style went through a long process. This article uses the documentary research method to gather and review relevant information on the two films, “City Lights” and “Modern Times”, analyse Chaplin’s unique film styles of the 1920s-1930s, and examine the sources of these styles. This article concludes that his films in the 1920s-1930s formed a mixed story style of sorrow and joy, contained themes with personal views, and expanded visual styles for the theme. Chaplin’s unique styles come from subjective personal experiences, caring attitudes towards society, and the objective impact of the development of film technology at that time.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

“City Lights” Charles Chaplin (1931)

“Modern Times” Charles Chaplin (1936)

Maland C J. Chaplin and American culture: the evolution of a star image[M]. Princeton University Press, 1989.

Bazin A. Charlie Chaplin[M]. Zahar, 1972.

Chaplin C. My autobiography[M]. Penguin UK, 2003.

Carroll N. Comedy incarnate: Buster Keaton, physical humor, and bodily coping[M]. John Wiley & Sons, 2009.

Thompson K, Bordwell D, Smith J. Film history: An introduction[M]. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.

Hajdini S. The comedy of the great depression: On Chaplin’s Modern Times[J]. Crisis & Critique, 2015, 2(1): 195.

Gomery D. The Hollywood studio system: A history[M]. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017.

Carr R. Charlie Chaplin: A Political Biography from Victorian Britain to Modern America[M]. Routledge, 2017.

Downloads

Published

3 April 2024

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Wang, Q. (2024). Analysis of the Unique Styles of Chaplin’s Films in the 1920s-1930s: Taking “City Lights” and “Modern Times” as Examples. International Journal of Education and Humanities, 13(2), 127-129. https://doi.org/10.54097/n4eek308