Nov. 08, 2002 - 5:33 pm
thanks to my mom for taping this film for me off of TCM. this was my second time seeing it, the first time i was going through the AFI list. the movie is number 106 today on the IMDb's Top 250 list and is probably one of the more recognized Charlie Chaplin films worldwide. it's probably his last really great film i would say. he did a few things after this, but none were so totally created for and by him. most of his films were done in the silent era of the teens and 1920s if you didn't already know that. he did do a few choice films after sound came to the movies in 1928, and one of those few was The Great Dictator.
Chaplin started work on this film in 1937, and was warned against making it since most of the world was basically afraid of making waves with Hitler and the Nazis. some people even still admired him at that point for all of the good he had done for Germany's economy, morale, etc. but by the time the movie was released in 1940, public opinion had changed drastically. in many ways, this film is still today considered a visionary achievement.
basically the film is a parody of the Nazi party in general, and Hitler in particular. Chaplin plays a Jewish barber living in the main city of "Tomania", where Adenoid Hynkel is dictator. Chaplin also plays Hynkel, who coincidentally looks exactly like the barber. the film shows the cruelty of the Tomanian officers to the Jewish people and the dictator Hynkel's idiocy in trying to make himself look superior to everyone else. the film eventually builds to the climax where the barber replaces the dictator and gives a final speech to the troops about wishing to help everyone as opposed to hurting them.
the final speech is very interesting. it really comes off as a personal plea from Chaplin himself to the people of the world and to the Nazi troops to rebel against tyranny and to keep the world a safe place to live.
this is definitely not my favorite Chaplin film by any means, but it's still an amazing piece of filmmaking. it's very different to see Chaplin in a speaking role. this is really the first speaking role he had in a film. he did a couple of other "sound" films, but they really had little to no speech, and never by his character.
it's also interesting to see Chapling doing a parody of the man he has so often been compared to. like night and day, Chaplin and Hitler had many similarities. obviously their personas looked very similar. they were also born in the same week and rose to worldwide fame and greatness. Hitler at one point, was also a tramp. very eerie stuff. and who better to make fun of Hitler than the funniest man who ever lived?
a useful thing to know about this film is that Hitler actually was a huge fan of the movies. he often screened films in his personal movie theater and most of them were from America. on at least two seperate occasions, he watched The Great Dictator, a film that he banned in every territory that he had control of, and a film that made fun of his nation and himself.