Review of The Great Dictator (1940) by Trevor R — 07 Nov 2014

While "The Great Dictator" may not be Chaplin's most polished film, it is undoubtedly his most passionate (to a fault, some might argue). This is pure cinema, with the director's first foray into sound filmmaking providing a whole new playground of comic and dramatic concepts to play with, and he proves himself just as adeptly as one might expect: the military parade is a favorite bit of mine, and the way the camera pulls tight on the birdcage as the SS officers barge into the home of our heroes is one of the finest, most haunting images Chaplin committed to film.

The final speech where Chaplin speaks directly into the camera is absolutely on-the-nose didactic theme-stating obvious in its presentation, but it absolutely works for me: the logic of the Barber's ability to deliver such a speech works in contrast to the fiery passion we've seen in his pseudo-twin Hynkel (as the film is nearly bookended by these two big, diametrically opposed speeches). It's fourth-wall breaking, certainly, but through the characters journey (foregoing the expected "Prince and the Pauper" riff until the very end), the moment feels earned.

In retrospect, the film can feel doubly more uncomfortable in the face of present knowledge of the of the events of the Holocaust-- something not afforded to Chaplin and his crew, making many of the injustices on display feel positively quaint in comparison to the impossible horrors of real life-- but to me, it has only increased the power of this, the most ambitious and brave film of Chaplin's career, and an absolute triumph of satire, comedy, and heart-wrenching drama.