How effective do you think Charlie Chaplin was with his creative challenge to war? (Critical)
In my opinion Chaplin was very effective with his creative challenge to war. Despite using comedy as a medium, I believe Chaplin has effectively portrayed the futility of war in a manner which all people can understand. Often when attempting to convey meaning through comedy that very meaning becomes lost within the comedy itself. However, Chaplin has been able to find the balance between comedy and an extremely serious topic. This can be seen most notably in the ‘Big Bertha’ and ‘The Great Dictator Speech’ scenes. In the former, there is an undoubted implementation of humour to lighten what is in truth, a serious situation. While at first the audience may overlook the underlying message, upon later thought / contemplation it becomes clear that war isn’t ‘all fun and games’ but rather a constant fight for survival. Moreover, the latter of the two scenes takes a much more direct approach. Given that this particular scene has withstood the test of time and is still seen as significant today, it is safe to say that Charlie Chaplin effectively challenged war in an extremely creative way.
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