One of the first shots is of a herd of sheep and then a crowd of people. I love how this comparison is used to comment on human nature, after all we are animals. This comparison is particularly poignant as it is set during the Great Depression. All people wanted was to work so that they could survive. No one wants to be left out of the herd as it were.
Another thing that I found interesting was the use of CCTV in the factory. CCTV was invented in 1942 by Walter Bruch to monitor rockets. So this movie foreshadows what we now deem as completely normal; always being watched. It was a very futuristic move on the design and plot perspective.
One of my favourite moments in the film was in the factory scene when Chaplin travels through the clogs. I think from a set perspective it would be really fascinating to try and design to allow for a person to move through cogs in such an effective way.
Lastly I wanted to look at props and how they used props in particular. I think one of my favourite bits scenic wise was when they were in their own little home which was comparable to a shack, with cans as mugs and everything falling apart. I loved that even though it was falling apart, they were so grateful for it. This once again highlighted how desperate things were during the depression. Another bit of prop ingenuity that I loved was the pocket watch, flattened by the factory machinery. Classic.
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