rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 1940
Directed by Charles Chaplin; produced by Charles Chaplin; written by Charles Chaplin
Starring Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner, Henry Daniell, Billy Gilbert
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
Chaplin's first all talking, all sound motion picture is still a great one,
although sometimes it feel awkward to watch. Of course that has to do with
what we know now and Chaplin probably did not know then. His film must have
been in production before the start of WW II and in certain scenes it almost
feels as prophecy. Maybe they thought in 1940 the scene where the Jewish
ghetto is sort of destroyed went too far, we know so much better now.
The film is basically an attack on Hitler and Mussolini; on their personas
and their stupid ideas. In the film Hitler is named Adenoid Hynkel, played
by Chaplin, and Mussolini is Benzino Napaloni (Jack Oakie). Their countries
are called Tomania and Bacteria. People who work for Hynkel have names like
Garbitsch (Henry Daniell). The human side of tragic events is shown through
a Jewish barber, also played by Chaplin, and a couple of friends that
surround him in the ghetto, including the girl he likes Hannah (Paulette
Goddard).
We see how so-called "storm troopers" treat the Jews in the ghetto, how
Chaplin is helped by Commander Schultz (Reginald Gardiner) because Chaplin
saved him in the previous great war, how they are imprisoned, how they
escape and how their story finally meets Hynkel's story. How I will not
reveal. Hynkel's story was more or less about nothing, about how to conquer
the world, until Napaloni arrives. They both want to invade a free country
named Österlich: trouble!
The story is not really that important actually. 'The Great Dictator' exists
out of great moments where Hitler and Mussolini are ridiculed and out of
simply fantastic Chaplin bits. The way Chaplin portrays Hitler and his
speeches in German are terrific, they make you laugh at Hynkel and therefore
at Hitler. The only two real German words I heard were "Wienerschnitzel" and
"Sauerkraut", but it sure sounds like the Nazi dictator. The Chaplin bits
are there when Hynkel has the whole world literally in his hands (painted on
a balloon) until it collapses in his face or when he, as the Jewish barber,
is hit on the head and does a little dance for us.
Great parts like these, combined with the sad story it tells, this is a
great film. Yes, his silent films like 'City Lights' and 'Modern Times' are
better and Chaplin is more in his element, but the nerve to make this as
your first sound picture alone is admirable. That it is a sound picture
gives Chaplin a chance to deliver a fine speech near the end of the film.
Although it does not really fits the character, it seems that we simply hear
Chaplin, it sure is a true thing.