“The Great Dictator” is a satirical comedy that pointed at and directly made fun of Adolf Hitler, during the reign of Adolf Hitler. The film was written, produced, directed by, and stars (in two roles!) the great Charlie Chaplin and is his first true-sound film. The story follows two fictional men who look nearly identical—a Jewish barber and the ruthless dictator Adenhoid Hynkel—and showcases Hynkel’s narcissism, insecurity, his inhumane policies, and the effect they have on the Barber’s life.
The film was immediately funny (there’s even a joke in the opening credits). Chaplin employs a wide variety of jokes, from his trademark slapstick to clever wordplay. He spends a great deal of dialogue assigning silly names (General Smellawful) and speaking gibberish German (“See cheesen in krackers undt!”). In fact, I found the spoken humor to be hilarious and surprising, considering Chaplin is known for his silent films; a real delight!
The film was so funny that the occasional pivots to drama or distress gave me whiplash. Chaplin sought to make fun of Hitler and raise awareness of the plight of Jewish Europeans. In doing so, he was constantly jumping from “dangerous but silly, effeminate, and insecure dictator” to “discrimination and suffering”. There was a certain imbalance to it and yet, perhaps the sobering pivots were by design.
This tonal change carries through to the film’s conclusion in, what feels like a “Parent Trap” moment, the Barber is delivering an impassioned speech as Hynkel. In this famous speech, the Barber drops all pretense of comedy—hell, Chaplin drops all pretense of character and seems to speak directly to the audience in a plea for peace and democracy. It felt wholly separate from the film and yet was delivered with such desperation and intensity that I found myself absorbed by it.