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The Great Dictator (1940) 8.5
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a doppelganger, a poor but kind Jewish barber living in the slums, who one day is mistaken for Hynkel. 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 | ... |
Garbitsch
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| 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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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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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
General Dwight D. Eisenhower personally requested French dubbed versions of the film from Charles Chaplin for distribution in France after the Allied victory there. See more »Goofs
When the barber slides into the basement window while evading the stormtrooper, his hat falls off onto the street. In the next shot, he is wearing his hat again. 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 »
I agree that the final speech is powerful, and stirring. It made my heart hurt (in a good way ;-) But I also have to say that the comedy is first-rate. When the Charlie and the pilot are unknowingly upside down and chatting away...when the pilot is serenely reminiscing about his girlfriend back home even as the downed plane plows right into the ground...when Hynkel delivers this vitriolic diatribe about 'the Juden' and the blandly impassive translator says, 'the Phooey has just made reference to the Jewish people' and 'the Phooey's heart is full of love to all mankind,' ...when Hynkel strips his hapless henchman of all his beautiful medals, spitting and fussing a mile a minute...I could go on and on! I think no one else on earth could play Hynkel as hilariously as Chaplin, but it might be fun to imagine modern comedians trying. ;-)