While Resorting to the old "Evil Twin" Ruse, Sir Charles sacrificed 'The Little Tramp' and the Golden Silence for a Singularly Fine Film!

Rating: 10/10 (22 September 2007)

As far as really good examples of Pro-American, Pro-Allied Forces, Anti-Nazi Germany World War II films to come out of Hollywood are two. One is the Walt Disney Donald Duck short subject,DER FUEHRER'S FACE(1942). The other is discussed in the following.
It has been said that The One and only Constant is Change. We're not sure who said it; though we did know, it changed on us! This World wide Change or "State of Flux", if you will, was very evident in the period between the two World Wars, and in every aspect of life. Political unrest, Pop Cultural Shock, Shifting Mores and a Post 'War to End All Wars' Era all combined to give us a World barely recognizable to the Populice of 30 years or so before.
And just think! First it was "How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm, Now that They've Seen Par-ee!", and then they went and stuck us with National Prohibition! That's another thing, The Volsted Act, Mother of Temperence, or Organized Crime?
But in any case, we had a great wave of change had overtaken Hollywood, hitting it from every direction. Undoubtedly the greatest shock-wave here came from the Sound Revolution. The Motion Picture had spent the previously 30+ Years in being forged, honed and fine tuned. The result was a Beautiful New Art Form; being a perfect Marriage of Visual Imagery with the Printed Word(Title Cards), with some emotional support of Musical Accompaniment.
Now along comes people like Inventor Lee DeForrest and Company. With them they brought processes like "Vitaphnoe", "Western Electric Recording System", "RCA High Fidelity" and even "Photophone Recording Process". Almost over night, the Studios and Movie Going Public became just about totally obsessed with SOUND, DIALOGUE, ALL-TALKING & ALL-SINGING! Charlie Chaplin was in as good a position as any to meet the challenges of the 'New Era'. His position, wealth and influence had rapidly and steadily grown from the time of his signing his first one year deal with Mack Sennett and his Keystone Studios. The popularity of his 1 and 2 Reeler Comedies brought him successively better financial growth and artistic autonomy over his films. Progressivly improving contracts with Keystone, Essanay, Mutual and First National, led to his owning and operating his own "Chaplin Studios" and his co-founding the UNITED ARTISTS Corporation.* So Mr. Chaplin had successfully been able to forestall the intrusion of Sound and "the Talkies" into his film world. Both CITY LIGHTS(1931) and MODERN TIMES(1936)had sound tracks, but it was mostly filled up with Musical Scores(written by??**)and some sound effects. But the 1930's were rapidly coming to an end, and August 31st with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany from the West, followed by The Red Army of Soviet Russia's pouring in from the East.
Chaplin wanted to make his next film something truly special, unique and truly a "One of a Kind" for the Depression Ridden '30's. It would surely appear that 'The Little Tramp' succeeded.
In THE GREAT DICTATOR, we are shown a metamorphosis on the screen, right before our very eyes. It was done subtly, without the obvious being said, shown or even implied.
In the earliest scenes we are brought up to 'the Front' in World War I. It is a fictionalized version , though only lightly so. The 'Enemy' Army is identified as being the Army of "Tomainia", but the soldiers, Officers and Enlisted Men, all have a decidedly German look to their Wartime Fashion. A certain allusion is made to "Big Bertha's" being used by the 'Enemy'.*** At this point we are introduced to 'A Jewish Barber'(Charlie Chaplin) who is on an artillery crew turned into Infantryman. The scenes involving the battle, heavy smoke and an encounter with Allied Forces(could have been either Brits or Yanks, uniforms similar).
But as this segment winds down, we are essentially saying good-bye to the "Little Tramp" and his beautiful, mime filled world of silence/silents.
From then on, Wrtier/Director Chaplin uses A Case of Mistaken Identity(The Jewish Barber & Dictator Adnoid Hynkel both=Chaplin); by God, it's the old "Evil Twin" plot! To this we see real-life like incidents, such as the Big Meeting of Dictators, Adenoid Hynkel & Benzino Napolini(Jack Oakie in his hilarious Parody of Benito Mussolini)and the annexation of 'Austalich'(the Austrian 'anshlucz'or union).
In addition to the already mentioned Mr. Jack Oakie, we have Paulette Goddard, then Mrs. Chaplin in the Female Lead(Hannah). Also featuring Henry Daniel, Reginald Gardiner, Billy Gilbert(Herring=Herman Goering spoof), Bernard Gorcy(Leo's real life Dad), Maurice Moscavitch, Richard Alexander, Hank Mann, Leo White, Stanley "Tiny" Sandford,Chester Conklin, Cyril Ring, Hans Schumm and many others.
Perhaps a little long for some maybe, but there is no wasted film here. Sir Charles took every opportunity to paint his Hitler parody as a buffoon, a maniac and a dangerous fool.
And Chaplin, speaking as himself, wraps it all up most seriously and imparting a wish of Hope to a Crazy World.
NOTE: * THE UNITED ARTISTS Corporation, founded in 1919 by Douglas Fairbanks,Mary Pickford,Charles Chaplin and D.W. Griffith.
NOTE: ** With no formal training and not being able to read music, Chaplin did compose his own scores and even hit songs, "Smile"(from MODERN TIMES)and "Love This Is My Song!"(from A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG,1967 his last film).
NOTE:*** 'BIG BERTHA'(in German 'Dicke Bertha',nickname the Germans had for their Model L/14 Heavy Mortar-like Howitzer.