The Great Dictator

I hate to Godwin my own review for Charlie Chaplin's 'The Great Dictator' in the first sentence, but do you know who else had a block mustache?

The history of 'The Great Dictator' may be as entertaining and complex as any film's can be, though it isn't production snags or script rewrites that are the amusing aspect of the story. Rather, the coincidences and parallels between Chaplin and Adolph Hitler are some of the most bizarre bits of trivia out there. Written and filmed before the real atrocities of World War II were brought to light, Chaplin's take on the dictator in his very first talky is memorable for all the right reasons, with a silent star taking aim at a man whose orations brought him great power. In a time before comedy about the most infamous leader in world history was taboo or in poor taste, the world's most famous man entered the political fray with his opinions on the value of life, freedom, and liberty, at the risk of alienating his already waning fan base. War was breaking out all around the world, bit by bit, and one man wanted to mock the man partially responsible.

There is no complexity in the plot to 'The Great Dictator,' as Chaplin weaves an all too familiar tale with his take on the Chancellor, playing two polar opposite roles. In one hand, Chaplin was a Tramp-ish fellow, a man of few words, a bumbling barber in the Jewish ghettos of Germany, a former soldier whose medical care and experiences leave him a stranger in the new political climate. On the other hand, Chaplin is the Phooey of Tomania, Adenoid Hynkel, the man who stands behind the double cross proudly inked or stitched into everything in sight, a man whose lust for power and global domination plays second to no other thoughts or desires. As the unnamed barber character struggles with his friends, constantly being oppressed and attacked by stormtroopers, his perfect duplicate is furthering the propaganda against the Jews and plotting whom to invade next, alongside his trusty aids Herring and Garbitsch (Billy Gilbert and Henry Daniell, respectively, playing two very familiar faces to war followers), while awaiting the arrival of the Dictator of Bacteria, Napaloni (Jack Oakie, clearly playing the part of Mussolini with a hint of Napoleon, hence the wordplay).

From the opening scenes of 'The Great Dictator' to its close, greatness can be found around every corner. The late-World War I opening, featuring the greatest cannon in the world, Big Bertha, as well as some flight gags that are beyond stupendous, may very well be the most slapstick-y the film gets, but with the arrival of the late '30's, the tone changes dramatically. Instead of slapstick, irony and sight gags take the lead, with Chaplin doing the best German gibberish in history as he mocks Hitler's infamously powerful speeches to great applause. The barber story maintains the status quo of classic Chaplin gags and familiarities with new twists, though, to keep an odd two flavored sense of humor that keeps viewers guessing as to what's coming next, rather than setting up gag after gag after gag. The fantastic use of long cuts remains, with numerous scenes feeling borderline Rube Goldberg-ian in their intricacy and precision, including a stunning barbering sequence, where Chaplin synchs himself and his movements poetically to Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5, in one of the signature scenes of the film, a gag that modern actors seem incapable of performing in such lengthy precision.

'The Great Dictator' is a comedy, yes, but it's also one of the best films at portraying the Jewish plight of the era, with fully realized, human characters and families banding together for more reason than their religion, leaving a number of powerful sequences, both of rebellion, the testament of the human spirit, and of loss and suffering. Sure, one can readily call the "coin in the pudding" scene the stick in the cogs of my statement, but even it shows men unwilling to give up and die, even if it means deceit (with great comedic result). With a man like Hynkel in charge, with his unending swarm of soldiers to do his bidding, it's hard to not feel for the conditions portrayed here, sequences that ended up being about as truthful as any other in the film, intentional or not, which sadly only skimmed the surface of the depths of the atrocities being committed in reality, acts that would have seen Chaplin not make the film had he been aware of them.

Seventy plus years after its release, 'The Great Dictator' remains powerful, incredibly acted, and, quite frankly, hilarious, for all the right reasons. There are no low blows, but rather attempts to remove the legs of a man whose power was grandiose and unchecked. The film almost seems like Chaplin's attempt to remind the world that he is nothing like the man whose appearance and rise to fame mirrored his own. One of the greats of cinema, the first time a voice was associated to the familiar character Chaplin embodied, this film is as relevant today as it was in 1940, even if the settings have changed, and damn if Chaplin isn't going to sit us all down by the end and remind us of it. Yes, the film has tone issues, and may run a bit too long for its own good, occasionally dragging along unnecessary sequences both good and bad, but it's still a true pleasure to behold.