Memorable Comedy

Rating: Null/10 (30 April 2001)

This film pokes fun at Hitler through a mixture of slapstick and satire. The film does not copy Hitler and the Nazis exactly; instead the dictator is named Hynkel, and instead of a swastika there is a double cross. It is worth watching in part to see how contemporary artists treated Hitler back in 1940, when he was a threat, not a part of history, Charlie Chaplin gives a double performance as Hynkel and the barber, something alluded to in the beginning. Chaplin's Hitler is funny and pathetic, not scary and imposing. It is interesting to compare this performance with the versions of Saddam Hussein presented in modern films(like say "Hot Shots"); again a dictator is portrayed as a pathetic, comical figure with a high-pitched voice. One of the best scenes, I think, is where Hynkel plays with a large globe. I found it strange seeing Chaplin in a movie with sound, something I had not seen before watching this film.