The Great Dictator

The Great Dictator is a film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin. The film, first released in October 15, 1940, is a satire on fascism and in particular Adolf Hitler and Nazism.

Making of the film

The film was written and directed by Chaplin. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Chaplin also received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor, and Oakie for Best Supporting Actor; the film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The film was Chaplin's first true talking picture and helped shake off accusations of Luddism following his previous release (Modern Times) released in 1936 when the silent era had all but ended in the late 1920s. Several similarities between Hitler and Chaplin have been noted and may have been a pivotal factor in Chaplin's decision to make The Great Dictator. Chaplin and Hitler had superficially similar looks, most famously their moustaches, and this similarity is most commented upon. (There was even a song about Hitler, entitled "Who is This Man Who Looks like Charlie Chaplin?") Furthermore, the men were born four days apart in April, 1889, and grew up in relative poverty. The making of the film coincided with rising tensions throughout the world. Speculation grew that this and other anti-fascist films such as Mortal Storm and Four Sons would remain unreleased given the United States's neutral relationship with Germany. The project continued largely because failure would have bankrupted Chaplin who had invested $1.5m of his own money in the project. The film eventually opened in New York City in September, 1940, to a wider American audience in October and the United Kingdom in December. The film was released in France in April 1945, shortly after the liberation of Paris.

Related Topics:
Academy Award for Best Picture - Academy Award for Best Actor - Best Supporting Actor - National Film Registry - Talking picture - Luddism - Modern Times - 1936 - 1920s - April - 1889 - Mortal Storm - Four Sons - September - 1940 - Liberation of Paris

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When interviewed about this film being on such a touchy subject, Charlie Chaplin had only this to say: "Half-way through making The Great Dictator I began receiving alarming messages from United Artists... but I was determined to go ahead for Hitler must be laughed at."

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The names of the aides of Adenoid Hynkel was very similar to that of Hitler. Garbitsch, the right hand man of Hynkel is very similar to Goebbels and Field Marshal Herring was clearly modelled after the Luftwaffe chief, Hermann Goering while beyond doubt Napaloni was modelled after Benito Mussolini.

Related Topics:
Goebbels - Field Marshal - Luftwaffe - Hermann Goering - Benito Mussolini

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Chaplin originally intended to call the film The Dictator, but received notice from Paramount Pictures that they'd charge him $25,000 for use of the title—they owned the rights to an unrelated novel by Richard Harding Davis. Chaplin balked at the conditions and inserted "Great" into the title. (In France the film is known as Le Dictateur.)

Related Topics:
Richard Harding Davis - France

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According to a BBC documentary, the film was not only sent to Hitler, but an eyewitness confirmed he did see it http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/tramp-and-the-dictator.shtml. According to the Internet Movie Database, Chaplin, after being told Hitler saw the movie, replied: "I'd give anything to know what he thought of it" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032553/trivia.

Related Topics:
BBC - Internet Movie Database

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In 1968, following the uncovering of the Holocaust, Chaplin stated that he would not have been able to make such jokes about the Nazi regime had he known about the actual extent of the pogrom. Since then, films have been produced which accept the artistic challenge to dare to find humour in that situation, such as Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful (1997).

Related Topics:
1968 - The Holocaust - Pogrom - Roberto Benigni - Life is Beautiful - 1997

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