The Great Dictator (1940)

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (writer)

Release Date:

15 October 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Tagline:

The Comedy Masterpiece!

Plot:

In Chaplin's satire on Nazi Germany, dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a double... a poor Jewish barber... who one day is mistaken for Hynkel.

Plot Keywords:

1930s | Persecution | Speech | Dual Role | Anti War

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Charles Chaplin	...	Adenoid Hynkel (Dictator of Tomania) / A Jewish Barber
Paulette Goddard	...	Hannah
Jack Oakie	...	Benzini Napaloni (Dictator of Bacteria)
Reginald Gardiner	...	Commander Schultz
Henry Daniell	...	Garbitsch
Billy Gilbert	...	Field Marshal Herring
Grace Hayle	...	Madame Napaloni
Carter DeHaven	...	Spook (Bacterian ambassador) (as Carter De Haven)
Maurice Moscovitch	...	Mr. Jaeckel
Emma Dunn	...	Mrs. Jaeckel
Bernard Gorcey	...	Mr. Mann
Paul Weigel	...	Mr. Agar
Chester Conklin	...	Barber's Customer
Esther Michelson	...	Jewish Woman
Hank Mann	...	Storm Trooper

Also Known As:

The Dictator (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Esperanto

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | South Korea:All | Germany:6 (DVD rating) | UK:U (original rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Denmark:7 (2003) | Finland:K-12 | Finland:S (re-release) | France:U | Germany:(Banned) (original rating) | Ireland:(Banned) (original rating) | Ireland:PG (re-rating) | Norway:7 | Spain:(Banned) (1940-1976) | Spain:T (re-rating) (1976) | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG (re-rating) (2003) | USA:Approved (PCA #6611) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | West Germany:12 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Agoura Hills, California, USA

Company:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Trivia:

Production on the film started in 1937, when not nearly as many people believed Nazism was a menace as was the case when it was released in 1940.

Goofs:

The machine rolling the bomb around in the beginning can be seen

Quotes:

Field Marshal Herring: We've just discovered the most wonderful, the most marvelous poisinous gas. It will kill everybody.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Entre onze heures et minuit (1949)

Soundtrack:

Prelude to 'Lohengrin'

Masterpiece

The Great Dictator is a beyond-excellent film. Charlie Chaplin succeeds in being both extremely funny and witty and yet at the same time provides a strong statement in his satire against fascism. The anti-Nazi speech by Chaplin at the end, with its values, is one of filmdom's great moments. Throughout this movie, I sensed there was some higher form of intelligence, beyond genuinely intelligent filmmaking, at work.