The Great Dictator is a 1940 American anti-war political satire black comedy written, directed, produced, scored by, and starring British comedian Charlie Chaplin, following the tradition of many of his other films. Having been the only Hollywood filmmaker to continue to make silent films well into the period of sound films, Chaplin made this his first true sound film.
Chaplin's film advanced a stirring condemnation of the German and Italian dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, as well as fascism, antisemitism, and the Nazis. At the time of its first release, the United States was still at peace with Nazi Germany and neutral during what were the early days of World War II. Chaplin plays both leading roles: a ruthless fascist dictator and a persecuted Jewish barber.
The Great Dictator was popular with audiences, becoming Chaplin's most commercially successful film.[4] Modern critics have praised it as a historically significant film, one of the greatest comedy films ever made and an important work of satire. Chaplin's climactic monologue has frequently been listed by critics, historians and film buffs as perhaps the greatest monologue in film history, and possibly the most poignant recorded speech of the 20th century.[citation needed] In 1997, it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[5][6]The Great Dictator was nominated for five Academy Awards – Outstanding Production, Best Actor, Best Writing (Original Screenplay), Best Supporting Actor for Jack Oakie, and Best Music (Original Score).
In his 1964 autobiography, Chaplin stated that he could not have made the film if he had known about the true extent of the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps at that time.[7]
^"The Great Dictator (U)". British Board of Film Classification. December 9, 1940. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
^"UA Meeting". Variety. November 20, 1940. p. 20.
^Friedman, Barbara G. (2007). From the Battlefront to the Bridal Suite: Media Coverage of British War Brides, 1942-1946. University of Missouri Press. ISBN 978-0-8262-1718-9. Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film The Great Dictator, satirizing Hitler and Nazism, grossed $5 million worldwide and became a classic.
^Cite error: The named reference trampdict was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"New to the National Film Registry (December 1997) – Library of Congress Information Bulletin". www.loc.gov. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
^Chaplin, Charlie (1964). My Autobiography. New York, Simon and Schuster. p. 392. Had I known of the actual horrors of the German concentration camps, I could not have made The Great Dictator, I could not have made fun of the homicidal insanity of the Nazis
and 23 Related for: The Great Dictator information
TheGreatDictator is a 1940 American anti-war political satire black comedy written, directed, produced, scored by, and starring British comedian Charlie...
be held in high regard, with The Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, and TheGreatDictator often ranked on lists of the greatest films. Charles Spencer...
A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated...
TheDictator may refer to: TheDictator (1915 film), a silent film comedy directed by Oscar Eagle TheDictator (1922 film), a silent film comedy directed...
and TheGreatDictator (1940). After signing with Paramount Pictures, Goddard became one of the studio's biggest stars with roles in The Cat and the Canary...
became widely known in the United States after comedian Charlie Chaplin parodied it in his 1940 film TheGreatDictator. Comedy group The Three Stooges also...
and Best Original Screenplay for TheGreatDictator. In 1942, Chaplin released a new version of The Gold Rush, taking the original silent 1925 film and composing...
Yiddish theatre. His 14 films, which he made at the end of his life, include Charlie Chaplin's TheGreatDictator. Maurice Moscovich was born Morris Maaskov...
gibberish song. In TheGreatDictator, Chaplin's first film after Modern Times, Chaplin plays the dual role of a Hitler-esque dictator, and a Jewish barber...
TheDictators are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential...
values. The film TheGreatDictator (1940) by Charlie Chaplin is itself a parody of Adolf Hitler; Chaplin later declared that he would have not made the film...
villainous roles in films such as Camille (1936), The Great Dictator (1940), Holiday (1938) and The Sea Hawk (1940). Daniell was given few opportunities to...
Minichiello, Mia (2015). "The Great Dictator (film)". Salem Press Encyclopedia. Salem Press. "A Brief History of the Magic 8 Ball". www.mentalfloss.com...
Allied forces in the Netherlands in 1945. A parody of the Paris Gun appears in the Charlie Chaplin movie TheGreatDictator. Firing at the Cathedral of Notre...
Thinker in the Garden of Dr. Linde, which is now in the Behnhaus. The cast later went to the Detroit Institute of Arts. In his film TheGreatDictator, Charlie...
Chaplin's TheGreatDictator. He also performed memorable turns as Beverly Carlton (a parody of Noël Coward) in The Man Who Came to Dinner, the spurned...
Later, he worked at the Chaplin Studios as Charlie's assistant director on TheGreatDictator and Monsieur Verdoux. He also appears in the supporting roles...
television. He portrayed Napaloni in Chaplin's TheGreatDictator (1940), receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Jack...
envelopes were used to keep the names of the winners secret. The accounting firm of Price Waterhouse was hired to count the ballots, after voting results...
For example, the award-winning Senegalese film Xala takes government corruption as its theme. Charlie Chaplin's film TheGreatDictator was a brave and...
Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945, has been represented in popular culture ever since he became a well-known politician in Germany. His...
comedian Charlie Chaplin portrayed the eccentric despot Adenoid Hynkel in the 1940 satirical film TheGreatDictator. The unhinged, unintelligent figure fictionalized...
of the 2003 DVD release of TheGreatDictator Comic books contain some other early appearances of evil twins. One example, still available on the market...