Not so great dictator Chaplin makes a mess of this one

Rating: 4/10 (24 October 2002)

This film starts off on a high note, with Chaplin returning to the "little tramp" form in sequences showing his bumbling attempts to help his fellow Germans win WWI, but the second half of the film degenerates amidst the not-so-soluble dual plotlines (involving, of course, star Chaplin in both plots) and pitiful verbal humor and ends on a note of unconvincing propaganda. He plays both the Jewish barber and the leader of the Germans. There are some very witty moments in this latter role, such as his dance with with an inflated globe, but too much verbal ethnic humor (of the low vaudeville type) is not alleviated by a sufficient amount of slapstick violence. Also, the plot's fluctuations between the two characters' stories becomes disconcerting and makes the film unfocused. Goddard makes an unconvincing impoverished Jewess; she is a talented actress but she's wasted here as the object of mostly idealized romanticism.
Chaplin's sincerity goes way past the breaking point of credulity in his final, ludicrously optimistic speech (yes, this one would put even Spencer Tracy to shame!). This scene, which is played straight and has no humor whatsoever, ends the film on a sour, unconvincing note and does much to unhinge any satire that preceded it.
An interesting failure at best.