Class Description
This class follows five of Charlie Chaplin’s films in a progressive exploration of the filmmaker’s remarkable life and art. Our discussions of The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940) will feature close appreciation of Chaplin’s artistic technique and broader reflections on the cultural complexities of the interwar era.
Steven J. Venturino, PhD, the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism, has led classes at the Newberry Library and taught at Loyola University Chicago.
Materials List
Required:
- No required books. Recommendations for accessing the feature films will be made available each week, along with additional film clips, brief reading materials, and web links.
First Reading:
- In advance of the first session, please watch The Kid (1921, 53 mins.), available on DVD or streaming at Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Criterion, and HBO Max.
Cost and Registration
Five sessions, $245 ($220 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
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