AS403 - Charlie Chaplin: A Cultural Icon of the Silent Film Era

This essay examines Charlie Chaplin's significant role in the silent film era, highlighting his influence on popular culture and social transformation. It discusses how Chaplin's character, the Tramp, resonated with audiences and satirized the industrialized future. The paper emphasizes Chaplin's contributions to film as a form of entertainment and a medium for political consciousness, solidifying his status as a cultural icon. Chaplin's work not only provided an escape from the drudgery of daily life but also fostered a sense of collective identity among diverse audiences, making him a pivotal figure in the history of visual media. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study resources for students.

Running head: CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND THE HISTORY OF SILENT FILMS
Charlie Chaplin and the History of Silent Films
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CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND THE HISTORY OF SILENT FILMS
After the world war one, there was robust technological improvement in America.
The exponential development in science and technology created a deep impact in the
lifestyles of the people living in America. Along with development of automobile, another
invention that heavily affected the entertainment industry was the development of the motion
picture. Unlike modern form of entertainment, the silent film era was devoid of sound and
other colour graphics. The silent film era spanned over three decades, that is, 1890s to the
1920s and one of the pioneering figure in that age was Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was not only
a great performer but he was also an avid innovator, for he has been a director,
cinematographer, and even a composer. Chaplin was such a vaudeville performer that his
name got included in the discussion of Popular entertainment. It acquired a place distinct
form of modern art, that is a specific cultural position and Chaplin rose to an era defining
popularity of the 19th century (McCraw et al., 2018). The purpose of this paper is to show that
the plight of Chaplin witnesses the major social and cultural transformation and the multi-
access of things that helped Chaplin to raise to its prominence of cultural touchstone.
The invention of “Motion Toys” attracted the audience and were responsible for
creation of Mass culture. People suffering from their day-to-day anxieties wanted to forget
their pain and trues to seek pleasure in silver screen. The filmmakers of 1885 to 1900s tries to
push the pictorial representation towards newer creativity by exploring on the backdrops,
script and the visual flow of the film. The kind of movies that Chaplin starred created a newer
version of visual art named Tramp, which is a smart film that fold pathos neatly into the
slapstick (Carr, 2018). The role of Chaplin in the history of Film industry is very important
because it was during his time there was birth of super hero. Chaplin became the cultural icon
that represented the era, which for the first time produced the popular culture. The content
that was depicted in the films like The Great Dictator and or the Modern Times was also
responsible for the drawing a large mass of audience. Another important factor which added

CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND THE HISTORY OF SILENT FILMS
to his popularity was the design of the characters of the play. None of the characters was
biographical but only appearances were invoked to explore the cross-cultural boundaries. The
physical comedy that created in the screen was related to the ordinary man’s imagination
(Cohen, 2016). Thus, the roles that he played was not just restricted to the screen but it
worked as producing a social force. This is because it provided fun and change from the usual
drudgery of daily life. Young American could inspire themselves to dream, to imagine and
lift them up from the monotony of humdrums of day-to-day lifestyle. It also worked as
lubricant of social hierarchy because people from diverse background, whether rich or poor,
young or old saw the same movie. Young minds wished to become movie stars and change
their current form of life-style. This served as the common point of reference for people of
different backgrounds. In this way, Chaplin became the cultural icon that became a historical
milestone in the world of visual entertainment.
Probing further into the major genre that Chaplin propounded and the transformation
that it bought from the slapstick comedy to a more realistic comedy identified with the
currents of social problem of the day. The mechanical laughter strongly identifies with the
technicality of the age. The kind of work Chaplin produced symbolised satirised the
industrialized future of that era (Carr 2017). In this humour became the medium of criticizing
the dehumanizing effects of the modern lifestyles.
Thus, this paper concludes that Charlie Chaplin an iconic figure of history has
contributed immensely in the creation of popular culture (Webb et al., 2019). The movies for
no longer seen to seek a break in drudgery of one’s lifestyle but it also serves as a medium of
raising political consciousness. The use of tramp and the mechanised laughter were utilised
for satiring the mechanised futuristic aspirations of the age. Both politically and socially, he
played an active role in developing the history of visual media. Thus, he is remembered as
great figure in the history.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND THE HISTORY OF SILENT FILMS
References
Carr, R. (2017). Charlie Chaplin: A Political Biography from Victorian Britain to Modern
America. Routledge.
Carr, R. (2018). Charlie Chaplin’s war: A British radical in tumultuous times. In Labour,
British radicalism and the First World War. Manchester University Press.
Cohen, H. G. (2016). Chaplin's America, The Essanay and Mutual Years: The Making of an
Artist in the Progressive Era, 1915–1917. Quarterly Review of Film and Video, 33(7),
585-601.
McCraw, T. K., & Childs, W. R. (2018). American business since 1920: How it worked. John
Wiley & Sons.
Webb, L., & Gleich, J. (2019). Hollywood on location: an industry history.