Chaplin vs Buster

Looking at new(a) time we see cater his act to the viewer. Pressured by the public to reflect social and policy-making discrepancies of the mankind Charlie develops a topical approach to his art. feller also developed his act to appeal to the masses as I will later discuss but when comparing our two films Charlies Modern Times Is the one which caters to twain the social and political Issues of the day. Beyond the realm of film Charlie holds his own personal commentary about his world and the Issues faced as his book A Comedian Sees the World demonstrates.Still despite his views initially Charlie saw a clear separation between his art and politics. Art is the treatment applied to work and has nonhing to do with the subject matter. 2 Despite this by the mid sass it was not enough to be political yourself as an artist it was also expected to be seen in your art. It was following his world tour that he became more than out spoken about the condition the Depression had left the wo rld, and decided to give into distant pressures. Like other Charlie films the film Modern Times took straight from the textbook of Chaplains aesthetic contract where comedy, squelch and pathos, would meet.As stated the difference between other early films by Charlie and Modern Times however were the topical allusions used. We sess clearly see this in early scenes between the Electro Steel Companys owner and his workers. The boss barks demands passim the beginning and by the end of the sequence Charlies spirit ends up going mad from the oppressive personality of the work place. Another allusion is to link between p overty and crime as we see scenes of Charlies love kindle stealing from the rich to feed both her and her struggling family. It is important to note however that Von Wiggings essay notes that the combination ofChaplains aesthetic contract as well as, social and political realities was problematic. To him the film does not ring straightforward to the woes of depres sion when contrasted with the optimism of a go lucky clown. Still this does not discount the topical allusions which were used passim this film. Unlike feller this film Is very much a commentary on the world slightly them. When looking at the heft ups done in Modern Times the sheer expressiveness of Charlie. Uses the silliness of things like consistency movements. You especially you cant overlook the obvious facial nerve movements of Charlie compared to the stone faced buster.For example scenes like when Charlie is being jampack fed food are pleasurable because of his being over the top clearly contrast scenes in the General like when Buster no giganticer sees the train in front of him and gives slight facial movement and reaction. This is one of Busters most well know trademarks. Buster got his start in a family music hall act and would later grow to own his own production studio where he directed and have in a number of films. The General is a classic chase film set dur ing the courteous War. It recounts the story of a down on his luck train engineer who gets wrapped up in a daring rescue for the love of his biography.Laura Macgregor notes in her paper and as I mentioned Buster Sextons the General. Buster Keating tries to appeal to sentiments of the time which called for greater realism in comedic gags. 4 If it couldnt happen in real life then it was not real and Buster saw it as an impossible gag. So rather than fantastic gags he would work at keeping his gags realistic. Laura add that by utilizing the long shot with a long take Buster is able to show how authentic his stunts, like when he travels between train carts, can be. This makes the slapstick comedy more believable to the audience ember.One example of another realistic gag is when Busters character disguises his love as a sac of potatoes. After putting her on the train you catch shots of Buster wincing in pain as he watches soldiers continue loading. 5 This is contrasted with some of the gags in Charlies film Modern Times such as the scene when Charlie finds new employment only to mess up and apropos cast off one of the ships or the scene where he is blind folded and roller skating a few floors up. Cartoonist scenes where Charlie is being rung through the inside of a machine would not hold admittedly to he realism Buster was looking for.It is important to note that Buster did not simply pass up suspending belief in all his films, rather he developed a comedic realism at heart his features in response to audiences wants. To add to the authenticity Keating also believed things should be visually real. From costumes to the genuine armies of people Buster was committed. In the general I took a page from history and I stuck to it in all detail. I stage exactly what happened. 6 Another technique used by Buster in the General, which Laura touches on, was to plant the gag alongside the narrative.Just as audiences called for comedic realism Laura claims audiences of the sasss were looking for more sophisticated or complex comedic relief over what many would deem as simple slapstick comedy. Almost all of the gags in The General pay heed similar double duty as gag and narrative element 7 It is interesting because by doing so gags not only are used to expand on the story but snuff it key in the development and cohesiveness of the film. Once again looking at the scene where Buster potato sacs his damsel the gag is clearly working on the bigger picture of getting them sticker to their allies.Without this gag the story can not move forward as smoothly. In comparison to more random scenes within Charlies Modern Times such as his roller skating scene within the department store. Though comedic it is not intertwined within the plot. To better entertain the public and though both films were not received well for various reasons they commit to growing within there art Just in different ways. Charlies pressures being that of representing daily life i n the Depression while Buster is more implicated with appealing to audiences want for a more realistic performance.