Hatherley unearths the hidden history of Soviet film, art and architecture, debunking the notion that it was austere and humourless. He reveals an unexpected comedic streak which found its inspiration in the slapstick of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. A bold, new interpretation of 20th century art history.

What did it mean for socialists to combine the ideas of Chaplin and Ford? Were their experiments indicative of a new future conception of work and leisure? And to what degree was this emphasis on comedy a precursor to the strangely festive despotism of Stalin? By asking these questions, The Chaplin Machine challenges our understanding of twentieth-century art in America and abroad.

Hatherley unearths the hidden history of Soviet film, art and architecture, debunking the notion that it was austere and humourless. He reveals an unexpected comedic streak which found its inspiration in the slapstick of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. A bold, new interpretation of 20th century art history.

What did it mean for socialists to combine the ideas of Chaplin and Ford? Were their experiments indicative of a new future conception of work and leisure? And to what degree was this emphasis on comedy a precursor to the strangely festive despotism of Stalin? By asking these questions, The Chaplin Machine challenges our understanding of twentieth-century art in America and abroad.