The Great Dictator, 1940, from Netflix.
This is said to be Charlie Chaplin's (starred, wrote, directed) most successful film and also
his first "talkie" (although his Modern Times had a full sychronized music track and some
talking). Two things surprised me about this film. One is that Chaplin takes on Hitler with
a straight attack at a time when the US was still very neutral and even England was trying
to appease Hitler. Thus this film was at that time banned in England but became a huge hit
there after the real war started. And supposedly Chaplin was pressed by his studio to
abandon the project while at the same time secretly encouraged by the Roosevelt admin to
press on with it. Anyway, Chaplin did his homework on Hitler's style and of course they
both had the same mustache to start with. So the fuhrer Hitler becomes the "fooey"
Adenoid Hinkle the dictator of Tomania, Dr. Goebbles becomes Dr. Garbage, and Goering becomes Herring.
Mussolini becomes Benzino Napolini the dictator of Bacteria. At one point Hinkle and Napolini get in a food fight over the invasion of Osterich and so forth. Although this is a talkie, there is a lot of old
time visual humor and Chaplin really knew how to do that.
The second surprise what that Chaplin takes on antisemitism too. His alternate character
is a jewish barber, who looks just like Hinkle (Hitler). The storm troopers roam through
the ghetto tearing things up at will and beating people and taking them away. But there is a lot of slapstick going on and everyone is made fun of. Chaplin said later in life that had the terrible truth of the subject been known at that time he never would have made the film and made light of the situation. In the end the barber is confused
with Hinkle and put on the huge stage after the invasion of Osterich to make a victory
speech. In a rousing serious speech the barber tells all to fight the dictators with everything, defeat
them, and start a better future. Truely it is Chaplin on his soapbox.
Jimski
This is said to be Charlie Chaplin's (starred, wrote, directed) most successful film and also
his first "talkie" (although his Modern Times had a full sychronized music track and some
talking). Two things surprised me about this film. One is that Chaplin takes on Hitler with
a straight attack at a time when the US was still very neutral and even England was trying
to appease Hitler. Thus this film was at that time banned in England but became a huge hit
there after the real war started. And supposedly Chaplin was pressed by his studio to
abandon the project while at the same time secretly encouraged by the Roosevelt admin to
press on with it. Anyway, Chaplin did his homework on Hitler's style and of course they
both had the same mustache to start with. So the fuhrer Hitler becomes the "fooey"
Adenoid Hinkle the dictator of Tomania, Dr. Goebbles becomes Dr. Garbage, and Goering becomes Herring.
Mussolini becomes Benzino Napolini the dictator of Bacteria. At one point Hinkle and Napolini get in a food fight over the invasion of Osterich and so forth. Although this is a talkie, there is a lot of old
time visual humor and Chaplin really knew how to do that.
The second surprise what that Chaplin takes on antisemitism too. His alternate character
is a jewish barber, who looks just like Hinkle (Hitler). The storm troopers roam through
the ghetto tearing things up at will and beating people and taking them away. But there is a lot of slapstick going on and everyone is made fun of. Chaplin said later in life that had the terrible truth of the subject been known at that time he never would have made the film and made light of the situation. In the end the barber is confused
with Hinkle and put on the huge stage after the invasion of Osterich to make a victory
speech. In a rousing serious speech the barber tells all to fight the dictators with everything, defeat
them, and start a better future. Truely it is Chaplin on his soapbox.
Jimski
