In 1939, it was known that Charlie Chaplin was making a new film.
Still one of the predominant names in the business at the time, intrigue swirled around the mysterious new project. ‘Talkies’, as they were first coined, had now been the most popular form of filmmaking for over a decade, yet that had not stopped Chaplin from making his previous two films, City Lights and Modern Times, as silent movies (though the latter did have a small amount of speech and one scene featuring The Tramp singing an operatic tune).
His next motion picture would become known for two things: being his first full film with speech as well as the movie where Chaplin stood up to Adolf Hitler.
The 1940 film The Great Dictator was, as usual, written, directed, and acted in by Chaplin (who also produced the movie and composed its music along with Meredith Willson).
The one-time Tramp performs double duty, playing both a Jewish Barber and Adenoid Hynkel — the Dictator of Tomania (or a pretty distinguishable Hitler).
The story of the Jewish Barber follows him through World War I, where he loses his memory after a horrific plane crash. He eventually returns to the Jewish Ghetto, knowing nothing of the escalating issues between his people and the country’s harsh treatment of them.
He reopens his shop and starts working again, yet he continually runs into the ‘storm troopers’ who get into little skirmishes with the unwitting man. In the midst of this, he falls in love with the lovely Hannah (Paulette Goddard — Modern Times).
Meanwhile, we watch Hynkel make a speech to the masses; then plan, strategize and form policies with his two most trusted consultants: Garbitsch (Henry Daniell — The Philadelphia Story) and Herring (Billy Gilbert — His Girl Friday).
With tensions escalating on the border of Osterlich (stand in for Austria) and his hopes of conquering the country floundering as the troops of Napaloni _ Dictator of Bacteria (Jack Oakie doing a clear spoof of Benito Mussolini) — are positioned directly on the boundaries, Hynkel invites the opposing leader to Tomania to resolve the situation.
After many comedic tête-à-têtes between the two, Hynkel gets his way and plans a secret arrival into the country after it has been conquered by his troops.
At this time, the Barber has been placed in a camp, but escapes in military garb. The two stories cross beautifully as the poor man is mistaken for the dictator and the dictator mistaken for the escaped convict, placing the Barber in an unbelievable position.
The first compliment I must give to this movie is to the genius auteur Charles Chaplin. Not only did he write, compose and direct a beautiful movie, but he is also magnificent in the dual roles.
Both funny and heartfelt as the simple Barber while also bringing a scathing caricature of Hitler to life; his impersonation of the man’s voice, look and mannerisms can only be called perfection.
Three scenes worth looking for are Hynkel’s speech to the masses, his testing of new technology and his pure enjoyment of manipulating a balloon designed to look like the Earth.
It is highly impressive that the man stood up to Hitler in his own way while others in the United States tried their best to ignore the situation in Europe.
In a weird side note, it is reported that Hitler actually watched The Great Dictator twice, supposedly enjoying it immensely — an odd thought to have about the tyrant.
One of the things that Chaplin does best is called ‘Mickey Mousing’, where the movements on screen match up to the music, much like in a comedic cartoon. Two excellent examples are when he is bashed in the head with an iron pan and while he performs an intricate shave on a customer to the classical tune by Brahms titled Hungarian Dance No. 5.
On a more heartfelt note, the Barber’s speech and message at the end of the film is still as powerful and moving today as it was almost seventy-five years ago.
The Great Dictator is an excellent film that did so many things well — Chaplin still performed some of his classic pantomime while using witty dialogue that had never been heard before in any of his earlier movies; he used a controversial world event as a platform to make a personal statement using both comedy and drama to enhance the point; and made a final plea that transcends the movie in which Chaplin himself leaves his characters behind in order to speak to us, the audience — offering hope and a moral compass that one should strive to live by.