The Great Tramp (Incomplete Review)

Rating: 8/10 (15 November 2013)

When the cast list appears on screen, Chaplin splits up the actors into two categories: the people of the palace, and the people of the ghetto. This is done in order to immediately juxtapose between the rich and the poor in the fictionalized nation of Tomainia. The main characters of this film, Hynkel and A Jewish Barber, are both portrayed flawlessly by Chaplin as he instantly switches between maniacal dictator and humble worker. This transformation was also used to show the differences and similarities between Chaplin and Hitler in real life. Another interesting note about the main actors is that for the first time in history, Chaplin is using name actors that would have most likely been recognized in the 40s, such as Reginald Gardiner and Henry Daniell. This immediately shows how Chaplin's transition into talking films has allowed him to adapt to the conditions of Hollywood. Jack Oakie as Napaloni, a parody of Benito Mussolini, also is able to add as much humor as Chaplin does to his own role by remaining as an enigmatic counterpart to Chaplin's physical humor. Once again, Paulette Goddard, Chaplin's wife, reappears as the main beautiful female lead, similar to her role in Chaplin's other masterpiece, Modern Times.
All throughout the film, Chaplin splices in clever comedic nods, such as the opening title card that notes that the resemblance between Hynkel and The Jewish Barber is completely co-incidental. The joke, of course, it that clearly Chaplin was supposed to resemble Hitler, a common comedic target at this point, even being mocked by The Three Stooges in You Nazty Spy! The film begins in a trench during WWI that is used to not only provide the audience with a setting, but to remind the audience of Chaplin's older silent movie days, specifically his 1918 WWI film, Shoulder Arms, where a majority of the film takes place in a trench. The film then transfers into a montage that spans 20 years over the course of a minute to show what happened between the events of the First World War and Hynkel's rise to power. We are then introduced to Hynkel through a speech that closely resembles Hitler's, while mocking the German language through the use of voluptuous food puns and a constant coughing and wheezing. Because Chaplin had previously advertised the film for the big speech, as a way to tease his audience he spoke entirely in gibberish, similar to the language that he spoke in Modern Times. After Hynkel drives off with his protégé the movie cuts to the ironically named Ghetto to introduce the characters on the other side of the fence. We then find out that the barber has amnesia and is unaware of what has been occurring in Tomainia. As he is forced to hail Hynkel, he meets Hannah through a ridiculous slapstick segment in which the Nazis are continuously beaten over the head with a frying pan. Later in the film the roles of Hynkel and the barber are switched as the barber gives his final speech about peace and the good will of mankind.
Despite the fact that the film is mostly based off of gags and comedy sequences, the film manages to include a strong level of symbolic significance in nearly every scene. For example, when Hynkel bounces the balloon-like globe off of his hand before it pops, this is supposed to resemble the childish fragility of Hitler's ideology and pleasure in taking over the world and spinning it on its axis.
For a comedy, this film contains some of the cleverest cinematography used at that time. Two directors of photography, Karl Struss and Roland Totheroh, share the cinematography credit. Early in the film, after a tracking shot that takes the audience through the trenches of warfare, the camera pans across a series of men loading the Big Bertha, a massive set piece that added to the $2 million cost of production. While the audience's eyes are focused on the loading of the massive weapon, it is easy to miss Chaplin, as he appears as just one of the guys loading the gun, made only visible by his iconic mustache. This camera angle is meant to gradually incorporate Chaplin into the scene, so that he can have a big reveal as the first ever-speaking Chaplin. When Hynkel meets a women that speaks to him about the use of poison gas, the camera starts with a wide shot of Hynkel and the women with his two assistants on the outside. Before cutting to a medium shot of just Hynkel and the woman. This is used to show how Hynkel is really just made up of his assistant's two opposing sides, one quiet and intelligent, the other brawny and buffoonish. One technique that is used quite frequently in this film is under- cranking, which was a method used in many silent films to make their slapstick actions seem faster and therefore funnier. The set design for Hynkel's office is incredible, mocking Hitler's actual office to a tee. As far as the makeup is concerned in this film, Chaplin seems to be the best made up so that most of your attention is focused on him whenever he is on screen. The other makeup, however, is a bit lacking, such as Paulette Goddard's obvious dirt spots to make her look ugly and poor, despite the fact that her gorgeousness shines through. The costumes in this film are all incredible, especially when they are used to show contrast in class with poor costumes of the ghetto and the extravagant costumes of the palace. While Chaplin is not generally known for his use of special effects, artists Ralph Hammeras and Jack Cosgrove pull it off nicely.
Grade: A-