NEVER SAY DIE….
Highlighting the plight of people during the Great Depression (a severe world wide economic depression after the World War II) and their frantic situation to get employed in a subtle yet so humorous way was the most outstanding feature brought out by the director-actor Charles Chaplin.
In a story which begins from The Tramp (one of the most famously recognized characters of Charles Chaplin) working in a factory where he has a nervous breakdown and is taken to a hospital. It is after his recovery that the main story begins. One after the other, incidents happen and put the Tramp in a position where he is either guilty of the crime or he wants to be guilty of a crime. To begin with, he was arrested as a misinterpreted communist leader. It is there that he realizes that life inside the prison is better than the world he has to move out into after serving his term. Proving to be a good, responsible and behaved citizen and prisoner, he is given a comfortable zone inside the prison itself from where he does not wish to move out from. However, after serving his term when he is released on good grounds and given a letter which would get him employment easily, he still leads a life of misery as things do not change for good.
Change occurs when the Tramp meets a young woman and takes care of her. Together they look for a house and employment both. When the Tramp is arrested again the girl finds a job in a café where she sings and dances for her audience. The girl is a runaway from an orphan house where she and hers sisters where taken after her father dies in a clash between the government and the unemployed people. After Charles Chaplin’s release, he also sings for the same café. But short-lived is their happiness as the officers from the orphan house find the girl. She is however not ready to go back and the Tramp and girl restore to running ending on a note where they do not wish to give up finding an employment and making a home for themselves-a never say die attitude.
Charles Chaplin has brought out all the necessary emotions and problems in a very in- the-face way where he has sharply yet subtly shown how the law and the government act in their own way imposing themselves on people. Where at one point, the government and law did little to employ the unemployed, poor, hungry ad starving people, on the other hand it imposed itself on the people clearing them away from streets, arresting without reasons and also getting hold of them by force under the name of security. The sharp contrast of the high class and the low class is also brought out well in the scene where the lady who sees the girl stealing a bread of loaf informs the police officer about the same. Resorting to means which are unlawful, by people who are tired of hunger is depicted well too. He is created his story in such a way that the audience could connect to the movie immediately as they are the ones on whom the entire story is based. More over, the characterization and the story of each character individually also give s more room to understanding in an audiences’ mind even if the character had appeared for hardly a few minutes.
All through out the movie one concept has clearly been kept in the mind-showing the problems through humor. The same scene carries both the extremes of the movie. For example, in the scene where the Tramp is fired at by the crooks is a sheer contrast as in one case it is funny with the Tramp not being able to balance himself on the skates and at the same time it is sad when the crooks tell him that they have taken to stealing only to feed themselves and meant no harm.
The music adds to the story and gives meaning to every scene. Though, the movie also has a few dialogues by a few characters, it was a silent movie. The direction of the movie is done in a way that the important scenes are shown with close up shots and the others with long shots, though the movie does not carry many face shots. The background and setting of the movie is made as realistic as possible and with no extra credits or efforts. The backgrounds are made by taking real places into consideration instead of making a set or scene or a back drop.
Considered to be one of Charles Chaplin’s best movies, it came as a good break of knowledge and humor to the people of that period. It is a remarkable story where Charles Chaplin has showed his talents, all as an actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He is at known to be at his best, because he was able to make the immediate connect ion with his spectators as he knew best about what they felt. He gave away messages and hints to make people understand that life is a struggle and it should go on. Giving up was no solution and the only thing that keeps life going is-never say die!
