Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > The Great Dictator (1940)
The Great Dictator
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Great Dictator (1940) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 24 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Charles Chaplin
Writer:
Charles Chaplin (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Great Dictator on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 March 1941 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | War more
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
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Orange of the Week: Sacha Baron Cohen
 (From ioncinema. 5 April 2009)

I'm Not a Huge Charles Chaplin Fan but...
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 2 February 2009, 12:41 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Masterpiece more

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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
Florence Wright ... Blonde Secretary
Eddie Gribbon ... Tomanian Storm Trooper
Rudolph Anders ... Tomanian Commandant at Osterlich (as Robert O. Davis)
Eddie Dunn ... Whitewashed Storm Trooper
Nita Pike ... Secretary
George Lynn ... Commander of Storm Troopers (as Peter Lynn)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wheeler Dryden ... Heinrich Schtick - Translator (voice)
Fred Aldrich ... Soldier (uncredited)
Richard Alexander ... Tomainian Prison Guard in 1918 (uncredited)
William Arnold ... Tomanian Officer (uncredited)
Sig Arno ... Compact Parachute Inventor (uncredited)
Joe Bordeaux ... Ghetto Extra (uncredited)
Don Brodie ... Reporter from International Press (uncredited)
Hans Conried ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)

Gino Corrado ... Sculptor (uncredited)
John Davidson ... Hospital Superintendent (uncredited)
Max Davidson ... Jewish Man (uncredited)
Lew Davis ... Hospital Orderly (uncredited)
Francis Ernest Drake ... Storm Ttrooper (uncredited)

Pat Flaherty ... Friendly Storm Trooper (uncredited)
Bud Geary ... Storm Trooper (uncredited)
Sam Harris ... Officer (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson ... Big Bertha Gunnery Officer (uncredited)
William Irving ... Man Seated on Bed (uncredited)
Charles Irwin ... Banquet Butler (uncredited)
Ethelreda Leopold ... Blonde Secretary (uncredited)
Torben Meyer ... Bald Barbershop Customer (uncredited)
Jules Michelson ... Man in Ghetto (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse ... Hynkel's Staff Officer (uncredited)
Nellie V. Nichols ... Jewish Woman (uncredited)
Manuel París ... Dance Extra at Ball (uncredited)
Jack Perrin ... Jewish Man (uncredited)
Lucien Prival ... Storm Trooper Officer (uncredited)
Cyril Ring ... Officer Extra (uncredited)
Henry Roquemore ... Soldier (uncredited)
Tiny Sandford ... Soldier in 1918 Tomainia (uncredited)
Hans Schumm ... Soldier (uncredited)
Harry Semels ... Jewish Fruit Stand Proprietor (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan ... Prison Guard (uncredited)
Carl Voss ... Officer (uncredited)
Leo White ... Hynkel's Barber (uncredited)
Harry Wilson ... Soldier in Field (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Charles Chaplin 
 
Writing credits
Charles Chaplin (written by)

Produced by
Charles Chaplin .... producer (uncredited)
Carter DeHaven .... associate producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Charles Chaplin (uncredited)
Meredith Willson (uncredited)
 
Cinematography by
Karl Struss (director of photography)
Roland Totheroh (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Willard Nico 
Harold Rice (uncredited)
 
Art Direction by
J. Russell Spencer 
 
Set Decoration by
Edward G. Boyle (uncredited)
 
Makeup Department
Ed Voight .... makeup artist (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Alfred Reeves .... production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wheeler Dryden .... assistant director
Dan James .... assistant director
Bob Meltzer .... assistant director
Alex Finlayson .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
William Bogdanoff .... construction foreman (uncredited)
Dick Fritsch .... assistant art director (uncredited)
Frank Veseley .... painter (uncredited)
Clem Widrig .... props (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Glenn Rominger .... sound
Percy Townsend .... sound
 
Special Effects by
Jack Cosgrove .... special effects (uncredited)
Ralph Hammeras .... special effects (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Buster Wiles .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Testera .... chief electrician (uncredited)
William Wallace .... still photographer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Wyn Ritchie .... costumer (uncredited)
Ted Tetrick .... costume supervisor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Meredith Willson .... musical director
Al Kaye .... music librarian (uncredited)
Max Terr .... assistant musical director (uncredited)
Meredith Willson .... conductor (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Henry Bergman .... general assistant (uncredited)
Rollin Brown .... laboratory contact (uncredited)
Kay Clement .... secretary (uncredited)
Evelyn Earle .... script clerk (uncredited)
Monroe Greenthal .... press representative (uncredited)
Moody .... dailies projectionist (uncredited)
Kathleen Pryor .... secretary (uncredited)
Gene Testera .... filing clerk (uncredited)
Carl Voss .... military advisor (uncredited)
Oscar Wright .... purchasing (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Dictator (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
125 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Esperanto
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) | 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) (1976) | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG (re-rating) (2003) | USA:Approved (PCA #6611) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | West Germany:12 (original rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Shot for 539 days. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When Hynkel is chased in the ghetto streets by stormtroopers, one studio building can be seen in the upper right corner of the frame. more
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]
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Sometimes in April (2005) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
String Quintet in E, Op. 13 No. 5: Minuet more

FAQ

Did Chaplin make this movie as a spoof on the Holocaust?
Which people in real life are the characters supposed to represent?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more
52 out of 77 people found the following comment useful:-
Masterpiece, 29 October 2001
10/10
Author: Taxdawg

The Great Dictator is a beyond-excellent film. Charlie Chaplin succeeds in being both extremely funny and witty and yet at the same time provides a strong statement in his satire against fascism. The anti-Nazi speech by Chaplin at the end, with its values, is one of filmdom's great moments. Throughout this movie, I sensed there was some higher form of intelligence, beyond genuinely intelligent filmmaking, at work.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Great Dictator (1940)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
A bit of irony... jogerston
charlie chaplin's speech at the end neongod64
Chaplin's worst? alexbrownson
Fact about this film. JimmyConway2
chaplins first speaking role? jschwa97
Great Dictator Podcast mscalici
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp Mother Night Modern Times Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb To Be or Not to Be
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb top 250 movies IMDb Comedy section
IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.