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The Great Dictator (1940)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Charles Chaplin (written by)
Release Date:
7 March 1941 (USA)
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Tagline:
The Comedy Masterpiece! more
Plot:
In Chaplin's satire on Nazi Germany, dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a double... a poor Jewish barber... who one day is mistaken for Hynkel. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars.
Another 4 wins
&
1 nomination
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NewsDesk:
(11 articles)
Tiff 2009 Day 7: Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Micmacs
(From ioncinema. 30 November 2009, 1:32 AM, PST)
Imran Khan says Look Up!
(From Bollyspice. 5 August 2009, 6:03 AM, PDT)
(From ioncinema. 30 November 2009, 1:32 AM, PST)
Imran Khan says Look Up!
(From Bollyspice. 5 August 2009, 6:03 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Credit where it's due
more (124 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Charles Chaplin | ... | Hynkel - Dictator of Tomania / A Jewish Barber | |
| Jack Oakie | ... | Napaloni - Dictator of Bacteria | |
| Reginald Gardiner | ... | Schultz | |
| Henry Daniell | ... | Garbitsch | |
| Billy Gilbert | ... | Herring | |
| Grace Hayle | ... | Madame Napaloni | |
| Carter DeHaven | ... | Bacterian Ambassador (as Carter De Haven) | |
| Paulette Goddard | ... | Hannah | |
| Maurice Moscovitch | ... | Mr. Jaeckel (as Maurice Moscovich) | |
| Emma Dunn | ... | Mrs. Jaeckel | |
| Bernard Gorcey | ... | Mr. Mann | |
| Paul Weigel | ... | Mr. Agar | |
| Chester Conklin | ... | Barber's Customer | |
| Esther Michelson | ... | Jewish Woman | |
| Hank Mann | ... | Storm Trooper Stealing Fruit |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Dictator (USA) (working title)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
125 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Brazil:Livre |
Germany:6 (DVD rating) |
South Korea:All |
USA:TV-PG (TV rating) |
Spain:18 (re-rating) (1976) |
UK:U (original rating) |
Argentina:Atp |
Australia:G |
Canada:G (Quebec) |
Canada:PG |
Chile:TE |
Denmark:7 (2003) |
Finland:K-12 |
Finland:S (re-release) |
France:U |
Germany:(Banned) (original rating) |
Ireland:(Banned) (original rating) |
Ireland:PG (re-rating) |
Norway:7 |
Spain:(Banned) (1940-1976) |
Spain:T (re-rating) |
Sweden:Btl |
UK:PG (re-rating) (2003) |
USA:Approved (PCA #6611) (original rating) |
USA:G (re-rating) (1972) |
West Germany:12 (original rating)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
When he had heard that studios were trying to discourage him from making the film, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sent a representative, Harry Hopkins, to Charles Chaplin to encourage him to make the film.
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Goofs:
Continuity: When Adenoid Hynkel climbs the curtains his left leg is up/down between shots.
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Quotes:
Commander Shutz:
[plane is upside down] We're upside down!
A Jewish Barber: I know it.
Commander Shutz: Give me that stick!
A Jewish Barber: Impossible.
Commander Shutz: [engine dies] Oh, there it goes. We're out of gas. Well, this is it then.
[pulls out cigarette pack]
Commander Shutz: Cigarette?
A Jewish Barber: Not now.
Commander Shutz: Then I shant need this anymore.
[tosses cigarette pack]
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A Jewish Barber: I know it.
Commander Shutz: Give me that stick!
A Jewish Barber: Impossible.
Commander Shutz: [engine dies] Oh, there it goes. We're out of gas. Well, this is it then.
[pulls out cigarette pack]
Commander Shutz: Cigarette?
A Jewish Barber: Not now.
Commander Shutz: Then I shant need this anymore.
[tosses cigarette pack]
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Murder Once Removed (1971) (TV)
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Soundtrack:
Prelude to 'Lohengrin'
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FAQ
A Note Regarding SpoilersWhat is the name of the country that Hynkel ruled?
Was Hynkel really speaking German during his speeches?
more
more (124 total)
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb top 250 movies | IMDb Comedy section |
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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.