I can’t remember that I’ve watched a feature-length Charlie Chaplin movie before. Of course I knew him, as the man is an icon. This was the first movie I saw and he was a genius. A really amazing first contact with his movies.
This is the first Chaplin movie with sound, which he uses to great effect for both funny purposes as a political message for the whole world to hear.
The movie was made when Hitler was ruling Germany, so it was a very daring to make it. America still hadn’t done anything against Germany. When Chaplin heard from friends in Europe what went on there he decided to film this movie.
There are stories that Hitler himself watched it as well, but it is unknown what his opinion was of it. It’s not hard to imagine though that he was not happy with it. Of course Chaplin looked quite a lot like Hitler with a similar mustache. Maybe this was another reason to make fun of Hitler. In the movie Idiocracy there is a very funny joke made about this.
Chaplin is excellent in the two roles he plays. Two scenes are my favourite. The first is where he’s shaving a man in sync with the music, the second one in which he dances with the globe. The Great dictator, it’s a classic and deserves its 10!
Interested in other movies which I’ve awarded a 10?
A complete list can be found here.