Chaplin’s War Trilogy: An Evolving Lens in Three Dark Comedies, 1918–1947

Chaplin’s War Trilogy: An Evolving Lens in Three Dark Comedies, 1918–1947
ISBN-10
1476616302
ISBN-13
9781476616308
Category
Performing Arts
Pages
240
Language
English
Published
2014-09-17
Publisher
McFarland
Author
Wes D. Gehring

Description

The book examines Charlie Chaplin’s evolving perspective on dark comedy in his three war films, Shoulder Arms (1918), The Great Dictator (1940), and Monsieur Verdoux (1947). In the first he uses the genre in a groundbreaking manner but yet for a pro-war cause. In Dictator dark comedy is applied in an antiwar way. In Monsieur Verdoux Chaplin embraces the genre as an individual in defense against a society out to destroy him. All three are pivotal films in the development of the genre in film, with the latter two movies being very controversial for their time.

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