Joonseok Lee
Blair Academy
Abstract
This essay analyzes the narrative framing and visual representation of the hero victim protagonist in Dziga Vertov’s Symphony of the Donbas and Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times, as well as their symbolic roles in portraying industrial and war ideologies. Through avant-garde film styles, both filmmakers depict characters conflicted between empowerment and victimization, reflecting the psychological contradictions of war, labor, and societal expectations. In Symphony of the Donbas, Vertov employs montage, symbolism, and eccentric framing to situate the protagonist within the apparatus of Soviet industrialism, where the figure oscillates between heroic labor and victimized submission to state authority. In Modern Times, Chaplin uses comedic timing and visual satire to present the protagonist as a victim of dehumanizing industrialization and a stoic hero, navigating oppressive institutions with humor and determination. By comparing these films in terms of narrative structure and visual imagery, this study reveals the psychological dimensions of the hero’s life in war and industrial society.
