The Great Dictator (1940)
October 4th, 2003 at 10:09 am (Uncategorized)
The Great Dictator (1940) is supposed to be one of Charlie Chaplin’s best works, however the last film to feature his famous “little tramp” persona is not as good as the earlier movies. At times funny, but often reaching for a laugh The Great Dictator is cheapened by the overstretching caricature of Adolph Hitler and overly melodramatic plight of the innocent oppressed. I guess The Great Dictator is a must see for any film buff simply because of the frequency in which it is referenced, but if you want to see Chaplin at his best go back to Modern Times (1936) or The Gold Rush (1925).
Allie said,
October 8, 2003 at 12:00 am
I heard that Hitler took his signature ’stache from this film. He was said to be a huge fan of Chaplin. And Chaplin was Jewish- how ironic can you get?
Nick said,
October 8, 2003 at 2:24 pm
Given the historical context of the film I think you have to at least respect it. It was came out in ‘40, was made prior to that, and dared to really go after Hitler. And he was doing it at a time before anyone really knew the extent to which Hitler was truly a maniac. On top of that you have an interesting theme with Chaplin playing both a Jew and Hitler (Hynkel). There are some great scenes, even if a lot of it is bogged down.
Nick said,
October 8, 2003 at 2:48 pm
btw, Hitler is said to have taken his mustache from the earlier Chaplin films, not this one. His mustache was established by then. Also, I don’t believe Chaplin was a Jew. He just played one in this film. I think he was English.
Allie said,
October 10, 2003 at 9:19 am
I searched online and I found that many people are actually debating his “religious background”, but it would seem he isn’t. My bad.
Personal note to self: Don’t believe everything you read…
Leopoldo said,
October 10, 2003 at 1:33 pm
You know, I also had it in mind that Chaplin was Jewish. I was surprised to learn he was not… I wonder how I got that idea. As for the mustache, according to the IMDB:
http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000122/bio
“Adolf Hitler was a big fan of Chaplin, so big in fact that he grew his mustache like Chaplin’s character “The Little Tramp.” Before that, Hitler’s moustache was a 1880’s type handlebar.”
Allie said,
October 10, 2003 at 9:51 pm
I remember hearing about him being Jewish in the biographical movie (which is one of my favorites and highly recommended), and I assumed it was true, being based on the biography that Chaplin himself wrote- of course they purposely dramatize certain things in the movies, and this one is no exception, but still…Anyway, I located an essay online that states Charlie’s half-brother, Sidney, was Jewish, and therefore it was incorrectly assumed that Charlie was as well. I guess it’s just a little factoid to be speculated. But it would be quite ironic if it were true.
arunlumar r t said,
July 6, 2004 at 9:34 am
The speech made by chaplin at the end if the movie
is one of the best and meaningful speeches i have ever heard.
It holds good for all the times.
I request you to publish the text form of the speech in your web site.
Roy said,
July 7, 2005 at 6:47 pm
i truly recommend people to see this film. i think its hilarious and the speech gave in the end was really moving. Because it came from the heart which you can see by the tone that he gives the speech by. chaplin potrayed himself as hitler very well, and he did something that a lot of actors cant do today, is to play two charaters in one film. Which is a great achivment. I truly recommend people to see it, it’s worth it.