3. Social Commentary, Goddard, and The Great Dictator Scott Eyman Charlie Chaplin versus America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided Chaplin's 1931–1932 world tour revealed global squalor, which drove his social commentary in Modern Times. The film's p

Season 1, Episode 28,   Oct 26, 01:16 AM

Subscribe
3. Social Commentary, Goddard, and The Great Dictator

Scott Eyman

Charlie Chaplin versus America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided

Chaplin's 1931–1932 world tour revealed global squalor, which drove his social commentary in Modern Times. The film's politics concerned the FBI, though Chaplin was extremely wealthy and privately mocked radical labels. He lived with Paulette Goddard for ten years, fabricating a marriage and sham divorce to aid her career. Chaplin self-financed all his major features, including The Great Dictator. He delayed making sound pictures because he believed the Tramp should not speak, thereby preserving his character's universality.
1918