349 reviews
Back at the dawn of the talkie era, Charlie Chaplin defended his decision not to start making sound films by saying "The moment the little tramp talks, he's dead". He was right of course. His comic persona was the creation of an era in cinema when words and voices were irrelevant. The little tramp's appeal lay entirely in how he did things, not in what he was supposed to be saying. And yet it was inevitable that if Chaplin wanted to continue in the business he would have to cave in eventually. Besides Chaplin's agenda was itself changing, and he had now reached a point in his life where he really wanted to speak to the world.
Many of the early scenes in The Great Dictator seem to prove Chaplin's fears about sound film. The slapstick has lost its flow, looking forced and awkward. And it appears Chaplin has no real idea how to write or direct dialogue. Sometimes characters make some banal little comment on the action as if simply to fill up the silence. Even worse things happen when Chaplin attempts verbal humour, resorting to feeble puns like the one about the gas keeping him awake all night (not that puns are necessarily bad, just that Chaplin isn't very good at them). Above all, the visual and verbal business is poorly integrated, with a badly-timed stop-start feel. It makes it particularly jarring after a dialogue scene to see this ageing version of the little tramp doing some of his old moves, such as teetering on one foot as he runs into a squad of stormtroopers. These scenes are unlikely to raise more than a titter, and are a sad testament to the fact that this familiar character was past his prime and out of time.
But this is a tale of two Charlies. For the first time in decades Chaplin creates a new character for himself in dictator Adenoid Hynkel. And the great thing about Hynkel is that he sidesteps Chaplin's inability with comedy in words but still makes use of comedy in sound. The dictator's cod-Germanic speech is part silly-voice, part linguistic nonsense and it is very, very funny. It actually adds to the humour that no-one else in the picture speaks it, and that Hynkel mostly lapses into it in moments of anger, as if it was some involuntary anxiety-driven affectation. The other great thing about Hynkel is that he is one of Chaplin's great works of satire. The nonsense language is of course a lampooning of Hitler's forceful speechmaking, but the parody continues through everything Hynkel does. Take for example when he has finished posing with the baby, and rather disgustedly wipes his hand clean. He does it with the same stiff-faced disdain that Hitler always displayed in public, but the character's puffed-up austerity is also being punctured by the fact that he's just got his hand covered in wee wee. The little tramp, a creation of and for the silent era, could not make the transition to sound. But Hynkel is a creation of and for the sound era, and he works fantastically.
As the picture unfolds, it begins to gain maturity and clarity, not to mention comic brilliance. Jack Oakie's Napoloni makes a perfect partner for Hynkel, and their antics together are like the Marx Brothers at their most riotous. Napoloni is also a work of satire equal to Hynkel, with Oakie working in many of Mussolini's less dignified mannerisms, such as curling his lip and bulging his eyes like he's trying to squeeze out a fart. While Chaplin's direction is at its most overt and showy, he also cleverly and subtly gears his compositions towards ridicule, making the most of those tall set designs to show off the dictator as some little twerp. And finally, the picture acquires the poignancy that made Chaplin's silent features stand out, this time with an extra bite in the seriousness of its message. It is then that you realise Chaplin knew his little tramp was finished, and yet that he needed him here to deliver his point. By subjecting him to sound, Chaplin sacrifices his alter-ego, making a means to speak his mind to the public who had loved him.
Many of the early scenes in The Great Dictator seem to prove Chaplin's fears about sound film. The slapstick has lost its flow, looking forced and awkward. And it appears Chaplin has no real idea how to write or direct dialogue. Sometimes characters make some banal little comment on the action as if simply to fill up the silence. Even worse things happen when Chaplin attempts verbal humour, resorting to feeble puns like the one about the gas keeping him awake all night (not that puns are necessarily bad, just that Chaplin isn't very good at them). Above all, the visual and verbal business is poorly integrated, with a badly-timed stop-start feel. It makes it particularly jarring after a dialogue scene to see this ageing version of the little tramp doing some of his old moves, such as teetering on one foot as he runs into a squad of stormtroopers. These scenes are unlikely to raise more than a titter, and are a sad testament to the fact that this familiar character was past his prime and out of time.
But this is a tale of two Charlies. For the first time in decades Chaplin creates a new character for himself in dictator Adenoid Hynkel. And the great thing about Hynkel is that he sidesteps Chaplin's inability with comedy in words but still makes use of comedy in sound. The dictator's cod-Germanic speech is part silly-voice, part linguistic nonsense and it is very, very funny. It actually adds to the humour that no-one else in the picture speaks it, and that Hynkel mostly lapses into it in moments of anger, as if it was some involuntary anxiety-driven affectation. The other great thing about Hynkel is that he is one of Chaplin's great works of satire. The nonsense language is of course a lampooning of Hitler's forceful speechmaking, but the parody continues through everything Hynkel does. Take for example when he has finished posing with the baby, and rather disgustedly wipes his hand clean. He does it with the same stiff-faced disdain that Hitler always displayed in public, but the character's puffed-up austerity is also being punctured by the fact that he's just got his hand covered in wee wee. The little tramp, a creation of and for the silent era, could not make the transition to sound. But Hynkel is a creation of and for the sound era, and he works fantastically.
As the picture unfolds, it begins to gain maturity and clarity, not to mention comic brilliance. Jack Oakie's Napoloni makes a perfect partner for Hynkel, and their antics together are like the Marx Brothers at their most riotous. Napoloni is also a work of satire equal to Hynkel, with Oakie working in many of Mussolini's less dignified mannerisms, such as curling his lip and bulging his eyes like he's trying to squeeze out a fart. While Chaplin's direction is at its most overt and showy, he also cleverly and subtly gears his compositions towards ridicule, making the most of those tall set designs to show off the dictator as some little twerp. And finally, the picture acquires the poignancy that made Chaplin's silent features stand out, this time with an extra bite in the seriousness of its message. It is then that you realise Chaplin knew his little tramp was finished, and yet that he needed him here to deliver his point. By subjecting him to sound, Chaplin sacrifices his alter-ego, making a means to speak his mind to the public who had loved him.
..this movie has been done when Hitler ( and Mussolini who is as well in the movie) was at the top and many politics and even the Roman Church used to close eyes about brutality and evil of Nazism. Especially in USA there were many people who had not understood what was really going on in Germany and Europe ( Charles Lindenbergh for example ).It would be as today a big actor would made a parody of Berlusconi or Chirac. Chaplin maybe made a lot of mistakes in his life, but this is really a masterpiece of humanity and IMHO a great demonstration he was a courageous man. The movie is funny and deep, the final speech has a terrible strength and is still updated. I think this movie is one of the best ever done.
- barrysheene
- Mar 5, 2004
- Permalink
I was surprised and impressed to find out this movie was released in 1940, before the United States entered World War II. On the surface, satirizing something as solemn and horrible as Nazi Germany could be misconstrued as rash. But Chaplin's brilliance isn't limited to making a joke out of everything. In fact, the seriousness of his message wouldn't have been nearly as valid if not for the excellent use of humor in this movie along with the moments of stark drama blended in. Drama alone wouldn't have had the bite and resonance that this film did. Laughing at someone (Adenoid Hynkel) can be the best way to attack them, while laughing with someone (the Jewish Barber) can be the best way to love them. In the Jewish Barber's final speech, I forgot for a moment that the war he was talking about happened more than half a century ago. They are words that have meaning now, and in any time of war. For this reason I believe the film did far greater good than harm, as it still has the same profound effect today.
Released in 1940, "The Great Dictator" was the first Hollywood film that denounced Hitler directly (albeit in the guise of Adenoid Hynkel), took a virulent stand against fascism, and directly addressed Anti-Semitism.
Over-long, at times heavy-handed, it still has many wonderful sequences, including the famous dance with the globe, and all the scenes of Chaplin with Jack Oakie, each trying to out-do the other and prove his superiority.
One criticism that seems to occasionally rear its head is the implication that Chaplin's pre-World War II anti-fascism was somehow wrong-headed. The atrocities of the Holocaust weren't fully known to the world yet, so Chaplin's anti-Hitler diatribe is, in the minds of some, misguided. After the war this mindset would result in the debacle of the blacklist, when Chaplin, among others, were branded "pre-mature anti-fascists." In other words, it wasn't politically acceptable to be against Nazism until war broke out with the U.S. Hard to believe anyone could still see things that way now, but some do.
The film industry of the 1930s wanted no part of international politics, no matter how blatant the brutality of a given regime. Profits were at stake. It was little goyisha Charley Chaplin, playing a Jewish barber, who took a public stand.
While "The Great Dictator" may not among Chaplin's finest films, it may, historically, be his finest hour.
Over-long, at times heavy-handed, it still has many wonderful sequences, including the famous dance with the globe, and all the scenes of Chaplin with Jack Oakie, each trying to out-do the other and prove his superiority.
One criticism that seems to occasionally rear its head is the implication that Chaplin's pre-World War II anti-fascism was somehow wrong-headed. The atrocities of the Holocaust weren't fully known to the world yet, so Chaplin's anti-Hitler diatribe is, in the minds of some, misguided. After the war this mindset would result in the debacle of the blacklist, when Chaplin, among others, were branded "pre-mature anti-fascists." In other words, it wasn't politically acceptable to be against Nazism until war broke out with the U.S. Hard to believe anyone could still see things that way now, but some do.
The film industry of the 1930s wanted no part of international politics, no matter how blatant the brutality of a given regime. Profits were at stake. It was little goyisha Charley Chaplin, playing a Jewish barber, who took a public stand.
While "The Great Dictator" may not among Chaplin's finest films, it may, historically, be his finest hour.
The tagline of 'The Great Dictator' is 'the comedy masterpiece', and I couldn't think of a better line to sum this film up. It's a hilarious political satire, but it also delivers a vitally important message. This film was released at the time when Hitler was at the height of his power and the main character, dictator Hynkel, is obviously a reference to him.
Charlie Chaplin is simply outstanding in this film in what was his first spoken role. To play two completely different characters, Hynkel and the Jewish barber, so convincingly in the same film is truly remarkable. Chaplin's speech at the end, which is very much HIS speech even though he's playing a character, is a piece of cinema I will never forget. Such a powerful, moving and compelling speech that remains relevant even today.
Making a comedy out of such a tragedy is risky business, but Chaplin's anti-fascist message ensured it wasn't taken the wrong way. 'The Great Dictator' is a hilarious but meaningful and powerful film. A brilliant piece of cinema.
Charlie Chaplin is simply outstanding in this film in what was his first spoken role. To play two completely different characters, Hynkel and the Jewish barber, so convincingly in the same film is truly remarkable. Chaplin's speech at the end, which is very much HIS speech even though he's playing a character, is a piece of cinema I will never forget. Such a powerful, moving and compelling speech that remains relevant even today.
Making a comedy out of such a tragedy is risky business, but Chaplin's anti-fascist message ensured it wasn't taken the wrong way. 'The Great Dictator' is a hilarious but meaningful and powerful film. A brilliant piece of cinema.
- adamonIMDb
- Aug 4, 2017
- Permalink
... and in today's parlance that means regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation but you might struggle to know it with the polarisation that continually pulls us apart, doing more damage to culture and society than any aspiring dictator could ever do.
A truly great piece of cinema from a truly great performer and genius, whose closing speech mirrors many of the concerns we perpetually live with today and to which we can add climate change and military AI as we enhance our quest for annihilation, extinction and mutually assured destruction.
A truly great piece of cinema from a truly great performer and genius, whose closing speech mirrors many of the concerns we perpetually live with today and to which we can add climate change and military AI as we enhance our quest for annihilation, extinction and mutually assured destruction.
The Great Dictator is a beyond-excellent film. Charlie Chaplin succeeds in being both extremely funny and witty and yet at the same time provides a strong statement in his satire against fascism. The anti-Nazi speech by Chaplin at the end, with its values, is one of filmdom's great moments. Throughout this movie, I sensed there was some higher form of intelligence, beyond genuinely intelligent filmmaking, at work.
- Cineleyenda
- Oct 28, 2001
- Permalink
This ingenious and innovate comedy packs many priceless moments and great sense of pace , though overlong . Chaplin's satire with several classic scenes , he has dual role as a Jewish barber and dictator Hynkel , an offensive portrayal of Hitler . Then the barber is mistaken for the Hitlerian tyrant and there happens bemusing events . Funny and extraordinary acting all around , as the stunning co-stars Jack Oakie as Napolini (Mussolini-alike) , Henry Daniel as Gasbstich (Himmler-alike) and Billy Gilbert as Herring (Goering) . Chaplin's first spoken film is brilliantly photographed by Karl Struss . This splendid film contains numerous amusing scenes , the funniest are the followings : 1) The one when during the WWI the barber-soldier along with a co-pilot are flying in a turned plane without to be aware 2) When Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tells overacting speeches , including a twisted microphone 3) Hynkel playing with an enormous world balloon 4) The Jew-barber shaving a man while fitting to Hungarian Dance : number 5 by Brahms 5) when Hynkel and Napolini each try to keep his body higher than other in a barber's chair , among them .
Production on the movie started in 1937 and shot in 539 days when not nearly as many people believed Nazism was a menace , as was the case when it was released in 1940 ; however , this film was ultimately upstaged as the first anti-Nazi film satire . Hitler banned movie exhibition to the Germans due to its satire of him , and put him in his death list after his proposed conquest of America . The movie is co-starred by Paulette Goddard , third of his four wives , they were married in 1936 , although no announcement of the marriage was made later, one time finished The Great Dictator . The picture was released in 1940 , when Chaplin had survived a moral scandal by a paternity suit but a brush with the House of Un-American Activities was the signal for the USA to refuse him re-entry from Britain and he fled to Switzerland . This movie was Charles Chaplin's biggest-ever box-office hit , grossing about $5 million at the time.
Production on the movie started in 1937 and shot in 539 days when not nearly as many people believed Nazism was a menace , as was the case when it was released in 1940 ; however , this film was ultimately upstaged as the first anti-Nazi film satire . Hitler banned movie exhibition to the Germans due to its satire of him , and put him in his death list after his proposed conquest of America . The movie is co-starred by Paulette Goddard , third of his four wives , they were married in 1936 , although no announcement of the marriage was made later, one time finished The Great Dictator . The picture was released in 1940 , when Chaplin had survived a moral scandal by a paternity suit but a brush with the House of Un-American Activities was the signal for the USA to refuse him re-entry from Britain and he fled to Switzerland . This movie was Charles Chaplin's biggest-ever box-office hit , grossing about $5 million at the time.
- Nazi_Fighter_David
- Sep 13, 2000
- Permalink
Charlie Chaplin's boldest film for its willingness to take on Adolf Hitler before nearly anyone else, "The Great Dictator" was also Chaplin taking on sound 11 years after everyone else. If it had to be the end of cinema's greatest Silent Clown, he did what he could to take down history's greatest monster in the process.
There are two reasons to like "The Great Dictator." One is that Chaplin was on the side of the angels, at no small risk given his target's ambitions. The other is he didn't forget to make it funny.
Essentially a Prince And The Pauper remake, "Dictator" presents Chaplin as both Adenoid Hynkel, the cruel if inept "Phooey" (a. k. a. "Führer") of Tomainia, and a Jewish World War I veteran, poignantly left unnamed as a nod to the Common Man, who only wants to work in peace at his barber shop. While Hynkel struggles with his two great passions, hating Jews and loving war, the barber finds love and a cause to believe in.
The comedy here can be categorized into the great and the good, with most of the former featuring Chaplin as Hynkel. He's simply much funnier here as the bad guy, whether playing it broad (jumping secretaries, delivering speeches in hate-choked gobbledegook) or subtle (after shooting dead a man who claims to have "perfected" a bullet-proof suit, Hynkel simply turns and walks away with a three-word critique: "Far from perfect.")
Hynkel is a character who solves Chaplin's legendary problem with sound, whether dressing down his blubbering subordinate Herring (Billy Gilbert) or struggling to keep his composure when fellow dictator Napaloni (Jack Oakie) rebuffs his attempts at intimidation. Told by his right-hand man Garbitsch (Henry Daniell) that the people are objecting to sawdust in the bread, he huffs: "What more do they want? It's from the finest lumber our mills can supply!"
The comedy around the barber gets more labored. Maybe it's because much of it turns on the oppression of the Jews, though Chaplin here is trying to establish them as underdogs and rooting interest. It's here the film becomes tricky, not because he is mocking the unmockable but because the characters we meet, including the Barber, are fairly bland and the humor patchy. There is some very funny material here, but excessive bits too where people get klonked with pans or splattered with whitewash. At least Chaplin avoided setting a pie fight in a starving ghetto.
The famous last scene is a great divider for many; in it Chaplin steps out of character to address us the audience about...what? The world needs more love and less hate, I guess. It's a philosophically strangled message, both anti-fascist and oddly pacifistic at a time when Hitler's legions were swallowing Europe, with Chaplin warning of "machine men with machine minds" as if he was still making "Modern Times" and punching the sky at times for lame effect.
To me it's a crass way to end a good comedy, if perhaps necessary given the stakes involved. Hitler was real, and calling him out for what he was had real value in terms of rallying those called upon to defeat him. If it doesn't transcend time as well as it could, "The Great Dictator" is still a fine comedy that delivers strong laughs and stronger historical resonances.
There are two reasons to like "The Great Dictator." One is that Chaplin was on the side of the angels, at no small risk given his target's ambitions. The other is he didn't forget to make it funny.
Essentially a Prince And The Pauper remake, "Dictator" presents Chaplin as both Adenoid Hynkel, the cruel if inept "Phooey" (a. k. a. "Führer") of Tomainia, and a Jewish World War I veteran, poignantly left unnamed as a nod to the Common Man, who only wants to work in peace at his barber shop. While Hynkel struggles with his two great passions, hating Jews and loving war, the barber finds love and a cause to believe in.
The comedy here can be categorized into the great and the good, with most of the former featuring Chaplin as Hynkel. He's simply much funnier here as the bad guy, whether playing it broad (jumping secretaries, delivering speeches in hate-choked gobbledegook) or subtle (after shooting dead a man who claims to have "perfected" a bullet-proof suit, Hynkel simply turns and walks away with a three-word critique: "Far from perfect.")
Hynkel is a character who solves Chaplin's legendary problem with sound, whether dressing down his blubbering subordinate Herring (Billy Gilbert) or struggling to keep his composure when fellow dictator Napaloni (Jack Oakie) rebuffs his attempts at intimidation. Told by his right-hand man Garbitsch (Henry Daniell) that the people are objecting to sawdust in the bread, he huffs: "What more do they want? It's from the finest lumber our mills can supply!"
The comedy around the barber gets more labored. Maybe it's because much of it turns on the oppression of the Jews, though Chaplin here is trying to establish them as underdogs and rooting interest. It's here the film becomes tricky, not because he is mocking the unmockable but because the characters we meet, including the Barber, are fairly bland and the humor patchy. There is some very funny material here, but excessive bits too where people get klonked with pans or splattered with whitewash. At least Chaplin avoided setting a pie fight in a starving ghetto.
The famous last scene is a great divider for many; in it Chaplin steps out of character to address us the audience about...what? The world needs more love and less hate, I guess. It's a philosophically strangled message, both anti-fascist and oddly pacifistic at a time when Hitler's legions were swallowing Europe, with Chaplin warning of "machine men with machine minds" as if he was still making "Modern Times" and punching the sky at times for lame effect.
To me it's a crass way to end a good comedy, if perhaps necessary given the stakes involved. Hitler was real, and calling him out for what he was had real value in terms of rallying those called upon to defeat him. If it doesn't transcend time as well as it could, "The Great Dictator" is still a fine comedy that delivers strong laughs and stronger historical resonances.
When a film opens with the above note, referring to Chaplin's dual role, but also a cheeky dig at the fact that Hynkel is a not-at-all disguised parody of Hitler, you know exactly what you're in for. This two-hour long lambasting of the Nazi regime may not be subtle, but by God Chaplin knew how to rip the p***.
If rumours are to be believed, Hitler had him placed at the top of his death list after this film's release – now that's street cred. We first see Adenoid Hynkel addressing the German (Tomanian) nation, giving a speech that involves much arm-saluting, nonsense English that makes use of the phrase "sour kraut" and his more embittered rages descending into coughing fits. "His excellency has just referred to the Jewish people", informs an announcer after a rage-filled moment that causes microphones to bend and quiver in fear. His first German-language dictates to his minister of war (Herring) involve "banana" and "cheeseuncrackerz". Look out too for instructions to his Minister of Interiors, Garbitsch.
I've never really gotten into Charlie (always credited as Charles) Chaplin, as I find his innocent sentimentality a little hard to get to grips with in today's society. W.C.Fields, and, to an extent, Harold Lloyd and Laurel & Hardy can still entertain, as they have something of the attitude, or edge, that Chaplin lacks. Ironically, it's modern times that mean we now find it hard to fully appreciate Modern Times. However, dialogue and a harsher undercurrent – including a Jewish barber (Chaplin, again) being hung from a lamppost mean that even today The Great Dictator is relevant.
There are some nice silly jokes, such as the barber, confronted by a Stormtrooper, being told: "and I thought you were an Arian". "Well, I'm a veget – arian", replies Chaplin, trying to fit in. Many jokes – such as Hynkel making a long speech and his secretary typing up just a couple of words; then saying just a couple of words only for her to translate it into paragraphs – were originated here and have been repeated countless times in other places. Some of the most amusing slapstick is when Hynkel meets fellow dictator Mussolini (Napaloni), and tries to impress him by having the greater psychological perspective in all their meetings. In a gag much honoured by Bugs Bunny, the two crank themselves up to ever-greater heights on barber's chairs.
Elsewhere, the film also has a grand scale, with ceilings on sets and news reports propelling the narrative – you know, the sort of thing Citizen Kane was so highly praised for the following year. If there's a fault with this film then it's not so much with the sentimental, whiter-than-white Jewish population, but with Chaplin's interpretation of Hynkel. Although he gets all the best jokes and scenes, he's simply too likable to really convey the threat Chaplin was trying to stop. Nevertheless, this is forgotten as the ending gives us the Jewish barber taking Hynkel's place, and Chaplin making an impassioned, three-minute speech in the name of freedom.
Charles Chaplin played two roles in this movie, wrote, directed, produced and, uncredited, composed original music for it. To claim it changed the world is an overstatement. America still had a good opinion of Hitler at the time, and, after it was released... they still had a good opinion of Hitler. It was still some time before they would even enter the second world war, and with the final speech being adopted for Communist pamphlets in England, this only caused Chaplin troubles when it came to the McCarthy witch trials. There's a sense that Chaplin isn't the master in the field of talkies, and that his use of mime was beginning to date. History was overtaking him, but The Great Dictator still stands as one of the most personal, and risk-taking films ever put on celluloid.
Postscript, April 2012: I've since watched all of Chaplin's features and every short. So, I was talking rubbish when I said twelve years ago that he didn't have modern appeal. Sorry about that. However, I stand by most of the review, even if "Chaplin on Hitler's death list" is a "fact" I've only read in Trivial Pursuits. Oh, look out for the documentary that's included on the DVD - "The Tramp and the Dictator" - well worth seeing, as well as Chaplin's extensive thoughts on this film and its aftermath in his 1964 autobiography.
If rumours are to be believed, Hitler had him placed at the top of his death list after this film's release – now that's street cred. We first see Adenoid Hynkel addressing the German (Tomanian) nation, giving a speech that involves much arm-saluting, nonsense English that makes use of the phrase "sour kraut" and his more embittered rages descending into coughing fits. "His excellency has just referred to the Jewish people", informs an announcer after a rage-filled moment that causes microphones to bend and quiver in fear. His first German-language dictates to his minister of war (Herring) involve "banana" and "cheeseuncrackerz". Look out too for instructions to his Minister of Interiors, Garbitsch.
I've never really gotten into Charlie (always credited as Charles) Chaplin, as I find his innocent sentimentality a little hard to get to grips with in today's society. W.C.Fields, and, to an extent, Harold Lloyd and Laurel & Hardy can still entertain, as they have something of the attitude, or edge, that Chaplin lacks. Ironically, it's modern times that mean we now find it hard to fully appreciate Modern Times. However, dialogue and a harsher undercurrent – including a Jewish barber (Chaplin, again) being hung from a lamppost mean that even today The Great Dictator is relevant.
There are some nice silly jokes, such as the barber, confronted by a Stormtrooper, being told: "and I thought you were an Arian". "Well, I'm a veget – arian", replies Chaplin, trying to fit in. Many jokes – such as Hynkel making a long speech and his secretary typing up just a couple of words; then saying just a couple of words only for her to translate it into paragraphs – were originated here and have been repeated countless times in other places. Some of the most amusing slapstick is when Hynkel meets fellow dictator Mussolini (Napaloni), and tries to impress him by having the greater psychological perspective in all their meetings. In a gag much honoured by Bugs Bunny, the two crank themselves up to ever-greater heights on barber's chairs.
Elsewhere, the film also has a grand scale, with ceilings on sets and news reports propelling the narrative – you know, the sort of thing Citizen Kane was so highly praised for the following year. If there's a fault with this film then it's not so much with the sentimental, whiter-than-white Jewish population, but with Chaplin's interpretation of Hynkel. Although he gets all the best jokes and scenes, he's simply too likable to really convey the threat Chaplin was trying to stop. Nevertheless, this is forgotten as the ending gives us the Jewish barber taking Hynkel's place, and Chaplin making an impassioned, three-minute speech in the name of freedom.
Charles Chaplin played two roles in this movie, wrote, directed, produced and, uncredited, composed original music for it. To claim it changed the world is an overstatement. America still had a good opinion of Hitler at the time, and, after it was released... they still had a good opinion of Hitler. It was still some time before they would even enter the second world war, and with the final speech being adopted for Communist pamphlets in England, this only caused Chaplin troubles when it came to the McCarthy witch trials. There's a sense that Chaplin isn't the master in the field of talkies, and that his use of mime was beginning to date. History was overtaking him, but The Great Dictator still stands as one of the most personal, and risk-taking films ever put on celluloid.
Postscript, April 2012: I've since watched all of Chaplin's features and every short. So, I was talking rubbish when I said twelve years ago that he didn't have modern appeal. Sorry about that. However, I stand by most of the review, even if "Chaplin on Hitler's death list" is a "fact" I've only read in Trivial Pursuits. Oh, look out for the documentary that's included on the DVD - "The Tramp and the Dictator" - well worth seeing, as well as Chaplin's extensive thoughts on this film and its aftermath in his 1964 autobiography.
- The_Movie_Cat
- Sep 1, 2000
- Permalink
The main thing that bothered me in The Great Dictator, is that it is too lengthy for what it's supposed to be. There just isn't an intriguing story here (or one that should be spread out as long as it has). I know this film is supposed to be a spoof of Hitler, but it fails at that, because there are just a few comic scenes that could have easily been put in a 20 minute feature (this would have stopped the repeating of several funny' or should I say tiresome gags as well). I hear you say though: but there STILL is a love story. Well sorry mates, that one is quite a bummer as well, because there are no real emotions there and the viewer is not shown how the barber and Hannah fall in love, you just have to assume it was love at first sight. The ending is NOT at all original and the final words that hit the viewer, just before the lights go out are understandably a bit idealistic (which makes them seem a bit cheesy now). But remember, back in 1940 people all over the world didn't yet know what was happening in Germany and they still though worse things might be prevented. In conclusion, I must say that I admire Chaplin's craftsmanship and his guts to make this film, yet I also feel a bit bewildered why this ranks so high in IMDB's top 250. Maybe it's the intention or the idea behind the film. All I can say is, that watched out of it's original context in the 21st century, this film comes off way worse than other things I've seen by Chaplin. It's just not funny, too unemotional and too long to be good.
Still a 6 out of 10
Still a 6 out of 10
What makes this film great is the historical context in which is was made. Having been made early in the second world war, this film is a great spectacle of wartime propaganda and satire against Hitler. Unfortunately, as Charlie Chaplin's first talkie, his well-renowned comedic timing suffers in the film. Chaplin's signature comedic walking makes one appearance, and his signature suit makes about two. All in all, visual gags are only provided every 15 minutes or so. This is understandable, as he is mocking Hitler for half the film, and he's attempting to replace visual gags with something more appropriate for a talkie. His pseudo-German is hysterical, but he relies on it too heavily. English dialog is extremely dumbed down compared to the Marx Brothers' films of the same period, leaving political jargon that, rather than having satirical merit, tends to simply slow down the film. After an hour of bearing with this shortcoming, the film does pick up slightly, especially after a turning point in the film involving new diplomacy. We do get a nice idealistic speech at the end that reveals some of Chaplin's political views.
As for the aggression against Jews in the film, one might expect Chaplin to turn the scenes into something similar to chase scenes from his silent films. Modern films, on the other hand, tend to develop the victims in the film well enough so we can feel some connection. In other words, I would expect to feel the need to either laugh or cry if Chaplin were to depict this kind of situation. Unfortunately scenes are more uncomfortable to watch than they are compelling.
Perhaps this film is highly regarded for what it stands for, but as a fan of Chaplin's silent films, as well as a huge fan of comedic talkies from this era, I felt highly disappointed and nearly fell asleep watching the film.
As for the aggression against Jews in the film, one might expect Chaplin to turn the scenes into something similar to chase scenes from his silent films. Modern films, on the other hand, tend to develop the victims in the film well enough so we can feel some connection. In other words, I would expect to feel the need to either laugh or cry if Chaplin were to depict this kind of situation. Unfortunately scenes are more uncomfortable to watch than they are compelling.
Perhaps this film is highly regarded for what it stands for, but as a fan of Chaplin's silent films, as well as a huge fan of comedic talkies from this era, I felt highly disappointed and nearly fell asleep watching the film.
- mysteryegg
- Jun 20, 2005
- Permalink
Aside from giving this film its proper socio-historical credit as one of only 2 U.S films which condemned Hitler, Naziism and the Holocaust prior to U.S. involvement in WWII, it's a great time as well. Much of the humor remains visual, and some of the funniest (and most famous) scenes are done in the silent mode (e.g. the globe). Although a bit more lacking in continuity and editing than many of Chaplin's earlier films, to do it credit simply as a passable first effort at a new medium is to damn it with faint praise. It's unique. No serious student of film can neglect to see and appreciate The Great Dictator as a classic amalgam of film talents.
The Great Dictator is Chaplin's parody about the Nazi Germany with scenes that make you laugh no matter in what mood you are.
Beside this ,from my point of view the movie's best part is the superb speech by the Jewish Barber ,a speech's thoughts that if would existed a little bit in Hitler's mind too it would had a chance for the world too pas a second world war.
The Speech: "I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor.
That's not my business.
I don't want to rule or conquer anyone.
I should like to help everyone: Jew, gentile, black man, white.
We all want to help one another.
Human beings are like that.
We want to live by each other's happiness, not misery.
We don't want to hate one another.
In this world, the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful but we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into bloodshed.
We have developed speed but have shut ourselves in.
Machinery has left us in want.
Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness, hard and unkind.
We think too much and feel too little.
More than machinery we need humanity.
More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness.
Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost...
The airplane and radio have brought us closer.
These inventions cry out for the goodness in man, cry out for universal brotherhood, for the unity of us all.
Even now my voice is reaching millions, millions of despairing men, women and children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.
To those who can hear me I say, do not despair.
The misery upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress.
The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took will return to the people.
So long as men die liberty will never perish.
Soldiers, don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you, regiment your lives, tell you what to think and feel, who drill you, treat you like cattle and use you as cannon fodder.
Don't give yourselves to these men, machine men with machine minds and machine hearts.
You are not machines, you are not cattle, you are men! You have the love of humanity in you.
Don't hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural hate.
Soldiers, don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty! St Luke says, "The Kingdom of God is within man." Not in one man nor a group of men, but in all men. In you! You have the power to create machines, the power to create happiness.
You have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.
In the name of democracy, let us use that power.
Let us all unite, let us fight for a new world, a world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age security.
Promising these things, brutes have risen.
But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people.
Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance.
Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to the happiness of all.
Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us unite!"
Beside this ,from my point of view the movie's best part is the superb speech by the Jewish Barber ,a speech's thoughts that if would existed a little bit in Hitler's mind too it would had a chance for the world too pas a second world war.
The Speech: "I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor.
That's not my business.
I don't want to rule or conquer anyone.
I should like to help everyone: Jew, gentile, black man, white.
We all want to help one another.
Human beings are like that.
We want to live by each other's happiness, not misery.
We don't want to hate one another.
In this world, the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful but we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into bloodshed.
We have developed speed but have shut ourselves in.
Machinery has left us in want.
Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness, hard and unkind.
We think too much and feel too little.
More than machinery we need humanity.
More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness.
Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost...
The airplane and radio have brought us closer.
These inventions cry out for the goodness in man, cry out for universal brotherhood, for the unity of us all.
Even now my voice is reaching millions, millions of despairing men, women and children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.
To those who can hear me I say, do not despair.
The misery upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress.
The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took will return to the people.
So long as men die liberty will never perish.
Soldiers, don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you, regiment your lives, tell you what to think and feel, who drill you, treat you like cattle and use you as cannon fodder.
Don't give yourselves to these men, machine men with machine minds and machine hearts.
You are not machines, you are not cattle, you are men! You have the love of humanity in you.
Don't hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural hate.
Soldiers, don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty! St Luke says, "The Kingdom of God is within man." Not in one man nor a group of men, but in all men. In you! You have the power to create machines, the power to create happiness.
You have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.
In the name of democracy, let us use that power.
Let us all unite, let us fight for a new world, a world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age security.
Promising these things, brutes have risen.
But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people.
Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance.
Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to the happiness of all.
Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us unite!"
This film entered production before WW2 began, but was not released until it was well under way. With significant fascist-sympathy in the US, and Chaplin himself being suspected as a communist sympathiser, The Great Dictator was a very courageous endeavour. Such risks in film-making - thinly veiled political statements - would be almost inconceivable today. Imagine the fallout if someone were to make an equally satirical film today which criticised the USA's foreign policy?
This film is hilarious, poignant and tragic. The tragedy is that Chaplin makes a plea for the madness to end, but it is already to late - for him and for us. A must see if you have any interest whatsoever in history, film-making, politics or sattire as an art-form.
This film is hilarious, poignant and tragic. The tragedy is that Chaplin makes a plea for the madness to end, but it is already to late - for him and for us. A must see if you have any interest whatsoever in history, film-making, politics or sattire as an art-form.
- Platymania
- Dec 21, 2003
- Permalink
Along with The Gold Rush, Modern Times and City Lights(my personal favourite) this is one of my favourites from Charlie Chaplin. The Great Dictator is just a wonderful satire on the Anti-Semitic Nazi regime- Hitler mayn't have got the joke in this comedy, but I think he got the point.
The Great Dictator looks great, with some great dialogue and a chockful of great moments, comedic or not. It is also excellently directed, and features wonderful performances from Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie and especially the comedy genius himself. The Great Dictator has many great moments as I've said, but three scenes stand out especially. One is the barber dancing in time to a Hungarian dance by Brahms. Another is Hynkel's solo ballet with a globe of the world. My favourite though is the final speech, pleading for universal tolerance. Mawkish and outrageous it is, but also very powerful and quite ambitious if you put it in context(I can only imagine the controversy that scene alone caused).
Overall, wonderful and powerful. 10/10 Bethany Cox
The Great Dictator looks great, with some great dialogue and a chockful of great moments, comedic or not. It is also excellently directed, and features wonderful performances from Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie and especially the comedy genius himself. The Great Dictator has many great moments as I've said, but three scenes stand out especially. One is the barber dancing in time to a Hungarian dance by Brahms. Another is Hynkel's solo ballet with a globe of the world. My favourite though is the final speech, pleading for universal tolerance. Mawkish and outrageous it is, but also very powerful and quite ambitious if you put it in context(I can only imagine the controversy that scene alone caused).
Overall, wonderful and powerful. 10/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 13, 2010
- Permalink
I would say that "The Great Dictator" is Charlie Chaplin's best movie ever. Mainly a spoof of Hitler, but also reminding us about tyranny in any form, the movie was Chaplin's first talkie. Probably the funniest aspect is his mockery of German: dictator Adenoid Hynkel stands up on the podium and rants something that sounds like: "Eh, de Holstein und de Aryan maiden und de strangulation itten. Kapeet! Kapatt! Deutsch Juden...grrr deutsch Juden!" Another great scene is when he's arguing with the Mussolini character about the Ostralich border, and their argument almost turns into a catfight.
Seeing how he pointed the finger at all tyranny, it's easy to see why HUAC used this movie to kick Chaplin out of the country. No matter, Chaplin ended up getting the last laugh; not only did the Oscars eventually give him an honorary Oscar, but the world remembers him as one of the greatest directors in history.
Seeing how he pointed the finger at all tyranny, it's easy to see why HUAC used this movie to kick Chaplin out of the country. No matter, Chaplin ended up getting the last laugh; not only did the Oscars eventually give him an honorary Oscar, but the world remembers him as one of the greatest directors in history.
- lee_eisenberg
- Jul 6, 2005
- Permalink
- Leofwine_draca
- Apr 26, 2017
- Permalink
Despite being released in 1940, this incredible movie highlights the importance of human values. It is true that it was in the context of what historically happened. But more importantly, it discusses subjects and problems that all humanity will face eternally because of the human nature; which makes it relatable to any generation, on a bigger or smaller scale.
The fact that the movie is in black and white, in my opinion, is oddly undisturbing, as it reinforces its historical value; that movies in colors would not be the same.
At last, this piece of art is undeniably one of Chaplin's most successful productions, bringing any viewer to tears at the end of the most iconic speech. The music is lifting, adequate, the acting perfect as the actors barely needed to act -it seemed so real- ; all that topped with Chaplin's personal touch of satiric comedy, artistic intelligence, and melancholic nature.
That movie made Charlie Chaplin my idol. I would be glad to watch it again and again, every time seeing something new.
Charlie Chaplin's famously prescient tear-down of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, filmed at the very outset of the second world war (England actually vowed to ban the film due to an early policy of Nazi appeasement, though their attitude flipped before opening day) and released before anyone really understood the height of the German atrocities. Chaplin himself would later express a certain degree of remorse, admitting he never would've made the picture if he'd known just how far the Nazis had gone.
It's an important film, certainly an emphatically heartfelt one, and an astoundingly timely message, but it's also plagued with minor quibbles. A handful of conceptually proficient cornerstone scenes, genuine big-screen magic, are good enough to enhance the whole act. Chaplin's mesmerizing bubble dance with an inflatable globe, as a shining example. A cheeky shave-and-a-haircut routine, expertly timed to match the Brahms playing on a grainy box radio. His passionate, enduring speech at the film's climax, eyes locked upon the camera, which still rings, honest and true, in today's combative social climate.
At the best of times it's a brilliant example of all Chaplin could offer as an entertainer; a perfect mix of silent film pantomime, well-timed musical accompaniment and passionate, assertive rhetoric. At other points, he clearly struggles with the urge to do what he's always done. To cast aside modern soundtrack demands and merely focus on telling the story through sheer physical poetry. Apart from those few radiant examples, his instinct doesn't come as naturally as it once did. Not every scene works. The plot jerks along in stops and starts. As the film's running time grows cumbersome, we miss essential scraps of story, cutting straight to the finish before each piece is properly aligned. Though Chaplin's noble Jewish barber ultimately gets his moment in the sun, his alternate role as the scheming Hitler-lite despot is hardly served a well-deserved comeuppance.
The Great Dictator, essentially Chaplin's last bow as an international icon, gives us much to appreciate, and much to ponder, but a wobbly structure and off-kilter rhythm leaves a lot of its seething, righteous cinematic power unrealized.
It's an important film, certainly an emphatically heartfelt one, and an astoundingly timely message, but it's also plagued with minor quibbles. A handful of conceptually proficient cornerstone scenes, genuine big-screen magic, are good enough to enhance the whole act. Chaplin's mesmerizing bubble dance with an inflatable globe, as a shining example. A cheeky shave-and-a-haircut routine, expertly timed to match the Brahms playing on a grainy box radio. His passionate, enduring speech at the film's climax, eyes locked upon the camera, which still rings, honest and true, in today's combative social climate.
At the best of times it's a brilliant example of all Chaplin could offer as an entertainer; a perfect mix of silent film pantomime, well-timed musical accompaniment and passionate, assertive rhetoric. At other points, he clearly struggles with the urge to do what he's always done. To cast aside modern soundtrack demands and merely focus on telling the story through sheer physical poetry. Apart from those few radiant examples, his instinct doesn't come as naturally as it once did. Not every scene works. The plot jerks along in stops and starts. As the film's running time grows cumbersome, we miss essential scraps of story, cutting straight to the finish before each piece is properly aligned. Though Chaplin's noble Jewish barber ultimately gets his moment in the sun, his alternate role as the scheming Hitler-lite despot is hardly served a well-deserved comeuppance.
The Great Dictator, essentially Chaplin's last bow as an international icon, gives us much to appreciate, and much to ponder, but a wobbly structure and off-kilter rhythm leaves a lot of its seething, righteous cinematic power unrealized.
- drqshadow-reviews
- Apr 16, 2020
- Permalink
This is supposed to be Charlie's masterpiece, but I will contend that it is actually one of his weaker films. First of all, it's not funny. Not one thing in this movie made me laugh. Okay, there's a quick jump into a box that was a giggle, but that was one of desperation. The Tramp's first - and only - talkie where he speaks (he sings in an earlier film), but his flat dialogue shows us exactly why he was such a joy to watch in "Modern Times" and "Gold Rush" - two films that are at least ten times better than this film. There's literally only one good scene in this film, the one where Hitler plays with the globe like a beach ball. That's it.
Okay, so it gets a lot of praise for being the first film to wage war, even long before we entered the war. Nope. Not true. Simply not true, so that praise can be turned down a bit. The Three Stooges did it on January 19, 1940 with "You Natzy Spy" - ten months earlier than the October release of Chaplin's film - and that movie was actually funny! If you want to watch Chaplin's greatest film, watch this only for reference. And then pop in "Modern Times", "Gold Rush", "City Lights", "Limelight", "The Kid", or even "Tillie's Punctured Romance".
Okay, so it gets a lot of praise for being the first film to wage war, even long before we entered the war. Nope. Not true. Simply not true, so that praise can be turned down a bit. The Three Stooges did it on January 19, 1940 with "You Natzy Spy" - ten months earlier than the October release of Chaplin's film - and that movie was actually funny! If you want to watch Chaplin's greatest film, watch this only for reference. And then pop in "Modern Times", "Gold Rush", "City Lights", "Limelight", "The Kid", or even "Tillie's Punctured Romance".
- PaulSquall
- Jul 21, 2009
- Permalink
I agree that the final speech is powerful, and stirring. It made my heart hurt (in a good way ;-) But I also have to say that the comedy is first-rate. When the Charlie and the pilot are unknowingly upside down and chatting away...when the pilot is serenely reminiscing about his girlfriend back home even as the downed plane plows right into the ground...when Hynkel delivers this vitriolic diatribe about 'the Juden' and the blandly impassive translator says, 'the Phooey has just made reference to the Jewish people' and 'the Phooey's heart is full of love to all mankind,' ...when Hynkel strips his hapless henchman of all his beautiful medals, spitting and fussing a mile a minute...I could go on and on! I think no one else on earth could play Hynkel as hilariously as Chaplin, but it might be fun to imagine modern comedians trying. ;-)
- Ermengarde
- Nov 1, 2004
- Permalink