kristen Blog

Under discussion:

Modern Times  (1936)

            Chaplin’s works in general are some of the most accessible films to date. He was not popular without reason. Chaplin understands the spirit of life so well that he can relate to all times.          

  Modern Times comically and concernedly shows the workers as slaves to the factory technology. The factory workers become machines themselves, and when Chaplin demonstrates human traits (ex. smoke break in the bathroom) the head boss rebukes him. The workers must conform to the demands of the factory; their value lies in nothing more than material output. However, factory life was the life of honest survival. People need jobs in order to eat. The sad truth is that to stay alive in these conditions, one must surrender part of his/her humanity. Today, we may understand to a greater degree the demand for domestic product over the concern for life in the workplace. With the industrial age, jobs became life, rather than something needed for survival.          

   Chaplin cannot conform. The repetition of the workplace causes a nervous breakdown, which allows Chaplin to express fully his humanity. He cannot surrender himself to a product. The inability to conform preserves the ideals that Chaplin holds. He remains human, and for this rash outbreak of life, Chaplin finds himself in prison. What is sad is that prison is more humane than the workplace.       

      In prison, Chaplin finds food and shelter. He has more freedom than at the job, and at least in prison he does not have to conform to some machine. Prison offers more than the world, which is sad for it boldly questions in what ways we are free.       

      The only thing that keeps Chaplin out of prison is another human. He accidentally meets her while trying to make his way back to prison. He selfishly does a kind deed, and thus begins a relationship. But the relationship evolves from a self-interested one to one of genuine concern. As they make their way in life together, Chaplin decides that he will even surrender part of himself in order to get a job to provide for her.          

   She, the gamin, on the other hand, can take care of herself. She steals food for herself and others; she escapes the law to live independently. She finds the house for Chaplin to live. She finds a job, and even ends up finding Chaplin a job. However, she is not so independent as to be aloof. She cooks and cleans for Chaplin. Chaplin likewise provides for her by entertaining her in his new job. Both provide for each other, make sacrifices, and struggle together to survive the cruel world.         

    The movie, then, discusses the dichotomy between idealism and realism. The tramp and the gamin long for the good life, which at times they imagine as the middle class home (paradise to them). They long to live within the social structure, to have nice things, food to eat, a place to sleep. They want the ideal of society, but cannot find it in reality. Ultimately the life they, as vagabonds, create is more utopian than reality. The do live with their dreams, and do not surrender their identity. In the end (SPOILER), they are outcasts of society, but their dreams and their ideals keep them happy. They can smile because they have life, something that society has forgotten.          

   The movie does not completely disregard society; that is why the tramp and the gamin want very much to be a part of it. The sound reinforces the themes of technology intruding, but also does not condemn technology. The sound adds to the dichotomy of idealism and realism. It interlaces the film with reality and fantasy. The one time that Chaplin speaks, he embodies life and becomes real. In his imperfections, Chaplin becomes the perfect example of humanity.

Under discussion:

2001: A Space Odyssey  (1968)

           Stanley Kubrick infused his art with the divine mysteries of the universe (purpose, evolution, creation, progress) for all humans to examine and reflect upon in his movie 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). As a movie with endless interpretations it has surprisingly specific themes, such as the duality common to mankind- that of evolution and destruction.

            Two times following the appearance of the monolith a device emerges that leads to the destruction of mankind. In “The Dawn of Man” (which represents the mysterious past of mankind), the monolith appears to the ape-men and they discover weapons. The ape-men make progress with the weapon, for now they can eat meat, but the weapon brings with it death and destruction. In “Jupiter Mission, 18 Months Later” the monolith appears to men on the moon. In this second section, men have discovered technology, and like the ape-man’s enthusiasm with discovery of the weapons, people enthusiastically assume that technology is a sign of progress. However, technology brings destruction to men (HAL murders the crew). This may serve to warn against what we consider progress. The third and fourth time that we see the monolith is in the ambiguous “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite” section. The monolith, in my interpretation, symbolizes mysteriously divine knowledge that brings about dire consequences to mankind.

            Conversely, 2001: A Space Odyssey contains themes on the evolution of man. First, we observe ape-men develop human traits with the discovery of weapons. The movie implies that the monolith has something to do with this discovery (dually destructive and creative). Second, we see humans who undertake a dangerous space mission. These humans have developed emotion. At the space station, a father misses his daughter and pleasant conversations arise between friends. But on board the spacecraft, the men grow cold and show less emotion. We never witness playful, human interaction. HAL, the computer, has more personality then the humans-  “I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do”. HAL manipulates, but also displays emotion in his moving statement “I’m afraid”. Technology has evolved beyond the humans, for technology makes mistakes, has emotion, and also is more powerful than humans are, though technology is defenseless.

As the mind / intellect grow stronger over time (apes to humans to technology), the physical defenses weaken. Unlike natural selection where the strongest animals survive, the weak now survive. Humans are physically frail but can rule over the animals with their powers of intellect. Frail humans rely on animals but remain superior, just like HAL (frail technology) relies on humans but is superior. If a hungry lion attacks an unarmed human, the human dies. When Bowman attacks the unarmed HAL, HAL dies. This does not mean that HAL is inferior; it only means that as mental capacities evolve, physical qualities weaken. Despite of physical deficiencies, mental capacities remain the more powerful of the two.

            HAL tells Dave Bowman at one point that the mission is too important for Bowman to destroy. What is the mission to which HAL refers? I read an interpretation that HAL is the mission. When Bowman tries to kill HAL, HAL tells him that he cannot allow him to destroy the mission. If 2001: A Space Odyssey is about evolution, then it is possible that the monoliths brought the spark of life/intelligence to the ape-men, who evolved over time into the perfected technology of HAL, who is now making his way back to the monolith. HAL was the reason for the mission, not Bowman. When the monolith receives Bowman instead of HAL, Bowman’s mental capacities are too weak to comprehend the divine mysteriousness of “Beyond the Infinite”. Because the monolith demanded the perfected creature (technology) and did not receive it, it could not reveal its truth or ultimate knowledge. Therefore, Bowman regresses into the “star child”, only to have the process of evolution begin anew.

            Granted, the movie can be interpreted in different ways. That is why many claim that this is an experience movie. My own experience cannot be separated from my theory of the movie, since part of the movie’s uniqueness is the creation of an almost musical experience. The scene on the moon where men in spacesuits descend into a mechanical, glowing yellow coalmine and discover the black monolith has evolved to one of my favorite scenes in movie history. That scene struck me when I first saw it, and for four years, it has grown with me. My love and I discovered a similar lunar crater together on a spontaneous adventure across space and time. This scene is him to me as I remember one of our best and highest moments together, at the peak of adventure and curiosity, poetry and love. This scene captures the adventure I always look for, the curiosity of a questioning mind, the fear of the unknown, and the unintelligent things we do when we do not understand something. Also, this scene is where humans receive some horrifying and piercing insight from a monolith that is “deliberately buried” (might this be a warning against knowledge?).