The Great Dictator (15-Oct-1940)
![](https://www.nndb.com/films/298/000037187/t.great-dictator-13.jpg)
Director: Charlie Chaplin Writer: Charlie Chaplin Musical Direction: Meredith Willson Keywords: Comedy, WWII Ruthless dictator Adenoid Hynkel rules Tomania and has his eyes set on conquering nearby Osterlich; a Jewish barber who is a dead ringer for Hynkel receives temporary protection from a Tomanian Army officer whose life he saved twenty years earlier. Anti-Nazi satire released, to Chaplin's great credit, long before such sentiment became mainstream in America. Received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score. Entered 1997 into the National Film Registry.
Name | Occupation | Birth | Death | Known for |
Charlie Chaplin |
Actor |
16-Apr-1889 |
25-Dec-1977 |
Silent film comedian |
Henry Daniell |
Actor |
5-Mar-1894 |
31-Oct-1963 |
British-American character actor |
Wheeler Dryden |
Actor |
31-Aug-1892 |
30-Sep-1957 |
Limelight |
Emma Dunn |
Actor |
26-Feb-1874 |
14-Dec-1966 |
The Talk of the Town |
Reginald Gardiner |
Actor |
27-Feb-1903 |
7-Jul-1980 |
English-American character actor |
Billy Gilbert |
Actor |
12-Sep-1894 |
23-Sep-1971 |
Comic actor and vaudevillian |
Paulette Goddard |
Actor |
3-Jun-1910 |
23-Apr-1990 |
Reap the Wild Wind |
Jack Oakie |
Actor |
12-Nov-1903 |
23-Jan-1978 |
The Great Dictator |
CAST Charlie Chaplin | ... Hynkel -- Dictator of Tomania | | with | Paulette Goddard | ... Hannah | | People of the Palace | Jack Oakie | ... Napaloni -- Dictator of Bacteria | Reginald Gardiner | ... Schultz | Henry Daniell | ... Garbitsch | Billy Gilbert | ... Herring | Grace Hayle | ... Mme. Napaloni | Carter De Haven | ... Bacterian Ambassador | | People of the Ghetto | Charlie Chaplin | ... A Jewish Barber | Maurice Moscovich | ... Mr. Jaeckel | Emma Dunn | ... Mrs. Jaeckel | Bernard Gorcey | ... Mr. Mann | Paul Weigel | ... Mr. Agar | | and | Chester Conklin | ... Supporting Cast | Esther Michelson | ... Supporting Cast | Hank Mann | ... Supporting Cast | Florence Wright | ... Supporting Cast | Eddie Gribbon | ... Supporting Cast | Robert O. Davis | ... Supporting Cast | Eddie Dunn | ... Supporting Cast | Nita Pike | ... Supporting Cast | Peter Lynn | ... Supporting Cast |
REVIEWS Review by anonymous (posted on 12-Mar-2006) If you are curious about the
work of Chaplin and want to see just one of his films to discover why
he was an icon of yesterday and remains one today, this is it. This was
his first "talkie" in which he actually has speaking lines and was made
during World War II, in which he plays a character that is clearly
Adolf Hitler. Jack Oakie plays the role of Mussolini and between the
two of them, the result is a film that holds up beautifully more than
65 years later. At the end is a beautiful speech that Chaplin gives out
of character in which he calls for peace, love, tolerance and an end to
all the destruction and loss of life, which has seemingly become a
whirlwind spinning out of control. A timeless message indeed. What
makes this film so entertaining are all the subtleties; the fabricated
German phrases, idiotic gestures by Hitler and Mussolini, while showing
how terrifying these years were for those who were forced to endure it.
Not only is this film classic entertainment, it teaches love and
kindness to all; this would be a great film to watch with elemetary age
children; even if they don't understand all the subtleties of the
dialogue and are yet to learn about WWII in school, they are sure to be
entertained by the slapstick humor and learn about what movies were
like oh-so many years ago. Watching this film is definitely time well
spent.
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