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The Great Dictator (1940) 8.5
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime. Director:Charles ChaplinWriter:Charles Chaplin |
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Title: The Great Dictator (1940)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Charles Chaplin | ... | ||
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Jack Oakie | ... |
Napaloni - Dictator of Bacteria
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Reginald Gardiner | ... |
Schultz
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| Henry Daniell | ... | ||
| Billy Gilbert | ... |
Herring
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Grace Hayle | ... |
Madame Napaloni
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Carter DeHaven | ... |
Bacterian Ambassador
(as Carter De Haven)
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| Paulette Goddard | ... |
Hannah
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Maurice Moscovitch | ... |
Mr. Jaeckel
(as Maurice Moscovich)
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Emma Dunn | ... |
Mrs. Jaeckel
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Bernard Gorcey | ... |
Mr. Mann
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Paul Weigel | ... |
Mr. Agar
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Chester Conklin | ... |
Barber's Customer
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Esther Michelson | ... |
Jewish Woman
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Hank Mann | ... |
Storm Trooper Stealing Fruit
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Twenty years after the end of WWI in which the nation of Tomainia was on the losing side, Adenoid Hynkel has risen to power as the ruthless dictator of the country. He believes in a pure Aryan state, and the decimation of the Jews. This situation is unknown to a simple Jewish-Tomainian barber who has since been hospitalized the result of a WWI battle. Upon his release, the barber, who had been suffering from memory loss about the war, is shown the new persecuted life of the Jews by many living in the Jewish ghetto, including a washerwoman named Hannah, with whom he begins a relationship. The barber is ultimately spared such persecution by Commander Schultz, who he saved in that WWI battle. The lives of all Jews in Tomainia are eventually spared with a policy shift by Hynkel himself, who is doing so for ulterior motives. But those motives include a want for world domination, starting with the invasion of neighboring Osterlich, which may be threatened by Benzino Napaloni, the dictator ... Written by Huggo
Taglines:
Chaplin talks . . while You Laugh ! His greatest comedy since "Shoulder Arms" and "the Gold Rush" ! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
7 March 1941 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Dictator See more »Box Office
Budget:
$2,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Title Cards: Note, any resemblance between Hynkle the Dictator and the Jewish Barber is purely co-incidental.
Title Cards: This is a story of a period between two World Wars - an interim in which Insanity cut loose. Liberty took a nose dive, and Humanity was kicked around somewhat.
See more »
(uncredited)
Written by Johannes Brahms
Played on the radio during the shaving scene
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
When Charles Chaplin's young son Sydney Chaplin saw the scene where the artillery shell drops out of the supergun for the first time, he burst out laughing. It ruined the take. See more »Goofs
When the Jewish Barber has just returned to the Ghetto and is cleaning his windows, his white overcoat changes from buttoned to unbuttoned throughout the fight scene. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Title Cards: Note, any resemblance between Hynkle the Dictator and the Jewish Barber is purely co-incidental.
Title Cards: This is a story of a period between two World Wars - an interim in which Insanity cut loose. Liberty took a nose dive, and Humanity was kicked around somewhat.
See more »
Crazy Credits
The film is obviously a satire on Adolf Hitler, represented by Adenoid Hynkel, and its story is based on Hynkel looking exactly like "a Jewish barber": both are played by Charles Chaplin. But it begins with a notice: "Any resemblance between Hynkel the dictator and the Jewish barber is purely co-incidental". See more »Soundtracks
Hungarian Dance No. 5(uncredited)
Written by Johannes Brahms
Played on the radio during the shaving scene
See more »
Aside from giving this film its proper socio-historical credit as one of only 2 U.S films which condemned Hitler, Naziism and the Holocaust prior to U.S. involvement in WWII, it's a great time as well. Much of the humor remains visual, and some of the funniest (and most famous) scenes are done in the silent mode (e.g. the globe). Although a bit more lacking in continuity and editing than many of Chaplin's earlier films, to do it credit simply as a passable first effort at a new medium is to damn it with faint praise. It's unique. No serious student of film can neglect to see and appreciate The Great Dictator as a classic amalgam of film talents.