Comedy

The Great Dictator

Charles Chaplin Productions

United States of America

English

Esperanto

Charlie Chaplin

Paulette Goddard

Jack Oakie

Reginald Gardiner

Henry Daniell

Billy Gilbert

Grace Hayle

Carter DeHaven

Maurice Moscovitch

Emma Dunn

Bernard Gorcey

Paul Weigel

Chester Conklin

Esther Michelson

Hank Mann

Florence Wright

Eddie Gribbon

Rudolph Anders

Eddie Dunn

Nita Pike

George Lynn

Wheeler Dryden

Fred Aldrich

Richard Alexander

Sig Arno

William Arnold

Joe Bordeaux

Don Brodie

Gino Corrado

John Davidson

Max Davidson

Lew Davis

Pat Flaherty

Bud Geary

Sam Harris

Eddie Hart

Leyland Hodgson

William Irving

Charles Irwin

Ethelreda Leopold

Torben Meyer

Bert Moorhouse

Nellie V. Nichols

Manuel París

Jack Perrin

Lucien Prival

Cyril Ring

Henry Roquemore

Tiny Sandford

Hans Schumm

Harry Semels

Charles Sullivan

Carl Voss

Leo White

Harry Wilson

Hans Conried

Francis Ernest Drake

Francesca Santoro

Leonard Walker

Finn Zirzow

Wyn Ritchie Evans

James Carlisle

Oliver Cross

Herschel Graham

Karl Struss

Roland Totheroh

Willard Nico

J. Russell Spencer

Edward G. Boyle

Ed Voight

Glenn Rominger

Percy Townsend

Meredith Willson

Ralph Hammeras

Jack Cosgrove

Buster Wiles

Ted Tetrick

Carmen Dragon

Max Terr

Alfred Reeves

William Bogdanoff

Frank Testera

Kathleen Pryor

In September 1939, six days after Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, Charlie Chaplin began filming his next feature. Drawing on the public perception of the similarities between himself and Adolf Hitler - not just his toothbrush moustache but also their upbringings - Chaplin sought to directly parody and attack the German führer and fascism.

In _The Great Dictator_, Adenoid Hynkel (Chaplin) rules Tomania and sets about his conquest of the world. In doing so, he persecutes Jewish people, including a former veteran of World War I who is now a barber (also Chaplin).

Unsurprisingly, the film was a hit on release, resonating well with the anti-Nazi sentiment in both American and British public. Chaplin understood that delivering his political message was so important that he forewent his usual desire for a silent film in order to get his message across.

Sound is used to great effect in _The Great Dictator_. By studying many of Hitler's speeches, Chaplin was able to create a ludicrous, yet believable, gibberish parody of the Nazi leader's oratory style. 

Of course, the physical comedy remains, typically reserved for the barber (who may or may not be Chaplin's silent hero, The Tramp). This combination of physical comedy and irreverent one liners together makes the film feel like a very early Carry On.

While _The Great Dictator_ remains arguably Chaplin's best "talkie", it often feels like it is the end of Chaplin's era of classical pantomime. People being hit on the head with a saucepan comes across as a cheap laugh and it is often the verbal jokes that are the cleverest. Overall the comedy has not aged well.

But _The Great Dictator_ was never designed for longevity. It was perfect propaganda for the Allies, released at a perfect point in the War. For that reason, The Great Dictator can only be judged in the context of its release.

Original Trailer

Charlie Chaplin - Final Speech from The Great Dictator

Three Reasons: The Great Dictator

THE GREAT DICTATOR Trailer (1940) - The Criterion Collection

Best Movies

The Great Dictator

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Charlie Chaplin

Paulette Goddard

Jack Oakie

Reginald Gardiner

Henry Daniell

Billy Gilbert

Grace Hayle

Carter DeHaven

Maurice Moscovitch

Emma Dunn

Box office

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