I was reminded of this classic this weekend when it was on Television. The great dictator surely is in my top 10.Made in 1940 and with the star Charlie Chaplin being the biggest thing in movies at that time, it certainly was a very very very bold movie to make. In 1940 they warned the world of what they felt was the evil empire. It took a lot of time and a lot of deaths for more people around the world to recognize that fact.
As it turns out, Adolf Hitler himself saw the movie several times in his own private cinema. It is not clear what he thought of it.
This movie makes me wonder, when common Americans knew about concentration camps in 1940.. what does the "ich habe es nicht gewüst" mean coming from the nazi's during the Nuremberg trials ('45-'46) ?
The only bad bit for me is the humor. I can't digg the slapstick, it ruins all the other humor in the movie, which is still great. The message is still very valid today, and that's what counts.
You can watch it below for free on google video. If you love cinema you should have already seen this classic.
The great dictator (1940)
Duration: 2 hours 5 minutes
The whole film is a build up to the final act. You can clearly see that Charlie feels and means every word he says, perhaps one of my favourite movie scenes ever. Charlie Chaplin kicks ass !
