Review of The Great Dictator (1940) by Ally C — 31 Jan 2011

The Great Dictator must be the boldest attempt to satirise a dictator at the height of his powers that the world has ever seen. For it to be attempted by an artist, not only at the height of his powers but at a time when he was perhaps the most well-known movie star and director in the world makes the claim doubly more important.

This was Chaplin's first sound movie. It arrived in 1940, a year before Citizen Kane but comparing the two, one wonders if Chaplin's was the more daring. The film juxtaposes the lives of two, physically identical Chaplin characters, one a Jewish barber living in the ghetto and a parody of Hitler himself, Hynkel - Dictator of Tomania.

It is claimed that Hitler watched the movie but no one knows what he thought of it. The film, of course, shows the Jewish community bravely struggling against the Nazi-occupied village and Chaplin's barber is central to this fight.

Unbeknownst to him due to a bout of amnesia, he actually saved the life of one a high-ranking Nazi officer so his village gets a temporary reprieve of attacks. Once this officer realises the barbarous nature of Hynkel's plans to wipe out the jews, he revolts and the villagers are persecuted again.

Meanwhile, Hynkel's camp posturings and regular bouts of rage are offset with Chaplin's impeccable timing and slapstick. One of the beauties of the film is its ease of comedy and it achieves the emotional equation that comedy plus tragedy equals humanity.

The film is celebrated most for the Jewish barber's speech at the end when he is mistaken for the dictator at a rally. The film changes tone for the final few minutes as Chaplin, (for we now know there is a third Chaplin in the film - himself) impeaches the Nazi followers to give up their ideas of domination and persecution and to feel compassion and warmth to their fellow man.

This speech was seen by millions one year after the war began, long before america wer ever in the war. An astonishing film.