IMDb > The Great Dictator (1940)
The Great Dictator
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The Great Dictator (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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The Great Dictator -- Three Reasons Trailer for The Great Dictator

Overview

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Top 250: #74  (login to vote)
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Down 6% in popularity this week. See why 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) See more »
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | War See more »
Tagline:
The Comedy Masterpiece! See more »
Plot:
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a doppelganger, a poor but kind Jewish barber living in the slums, who one day is mistaken for Hynkel. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 1 nomination See more »
NewsDesk:
(141 articles)
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 (From Shadowlocked. 27 May 2012, 11:38 PM, PDT)
This week's new film events
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 25 May 2012, 4:05 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Remember that...... See more (152 total) »

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)
Sig Arno ... Compact Parachute Inventor (uncredited)
William Arnold ... Tomanian Officer (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 Trooper (uncredited)

Pat Flaherty ... Friendly Storm Trooper (uncredited)
Bud Geary ... Storm Trooper (uncredited)
Sam Harris ... Officer (uncredited)
Eddie Hart ... Policeman (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)
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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
Ralph Hammeras .... special effects (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Jack Cosgrove .... special photographic 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
Carmen Dragon .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Al Kaye .... music librarian (uncredited)
Max Terr .... assistant musical director (uncredited)
Max Terr .... orchestrator (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


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
125 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Esperanto
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 See 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) | Japan:G (2010) | Italy:(Banned) (Original rating) | Italy:T (re-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) | 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:
Agoura Hills, California, USASee more »
Company:
Charles Chaplin ProductionsSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
At the 1940 Academy Awards, the film got five nominations. It failed to win any Academy Awards, and Charles Chaplin was hurt by this. He already had spent twenty-seven years in Hollywood. James Stewart, the winner of the Best Actor Award (for which Chaplin was nominated), was not even planning on going to the ceremony until someone told him to go there hours before it began. Interestingly enough, this was the first year in which the winners remained secret until the moment they won their Awards.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: After Hynkel's "Tighten our belts" remark, Herring tightens his belt, which breaks when he sits down. However whenever we see Herring later in the scene, his belt is intact.See more »
Quotes:
Adenoid Hynkel:Garbitsch, what's the meaning of this? These appropriations? 25 million for prison camps when we need every penny for the manufacturing of ammunition's?
Garbitsch:We've had to make a few arrests.
Adenoid Hynkel:A few? How many?
Garbitsch:Nothing astronomical. Five or ten thousand.
Adenoid Hynkel:Oh.
Garbitsch:A Day.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Pinky and the Brain: The Pinky POV/The Really Great Dictator/Brain Food (#3.33)" (1998)See more »
Soundtrack:
String Quintet in E, Op. 13 No. 5: MinuetSee more »

FAQ

Which people in real life are the characters supposed to represent?
How did Chaplin accomplish the upside down plane stunt?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
69 out of 89 people found the following review useful.
Remember that......, 6 March 2004
Author: barrysheene from venice, Italy

..this movie has been done when Hitler ( and Mussolini who is as well in the movie) was at the top and many politics and even the Roman Church used to close eyes about brutality and evil of Nazism. Especially in USA there were many people who had not understood what was really going on in Germany and Europe ( Charles Lindenbergh for example ).It would be as today a big actor would made a parody of Berlusconi or Chirac. Chaplin maybe made a lot of mistakes in his life, but this is really a masterpiece of humanity and IMHO a great demonstration he was a courageous man. The movie is funny and deep, the final speech has a terrible strength and is still updated. I think this movie is one of the best ever done.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Great Dictator (1940)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Can we get the plot synopsis for this film changed? crayon-power
If Hitler really saw this movie... pilarp-1
charlie chaplin's speech at the end neongod64
That Schultz is some guy TopFrog
Chaplin's worst? alexbrownson
Greatest speech ever + Inception music steve98689
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