Too slow for modern audiences

Rating: 4/10 (21 June 2005)

What makes this film great is the historical context in which is was made. Having been made early in the second world war, this film is a great spectacle of wartime propaganda and satire against Hitler. Unfortunately, as Charlie Chaplin's first talkie, his well-renowned comedic timing suffers in the film. Chaplin's signature comedic walking makes one appearance, and his signature suit makes about two. All in all, visual gags are only provided every 15 minutes or so. This is understandable, as he is mocking Hitler for half the film, and he's attempting to replace visual gags with something more appropriate for a talkie. His pseudo-German is hysterical, but he relies on it too heavily. English dialog is extremely dumbed down compared to the Marx Brothers' films of the same period, leaving political jargon that, rather than having satirical merit, tends to simply slow down the film. After an hour of bearing with this shortcoming, the film does pick up slightly, especially after a turning point in the film involving new diplomacy. We do get a nice idealistic speech at the end that reveals some of Chaplin's political views.
As for the aggression against Jews in the film, one might expect Chaplin to turn the scenes into something similar to chase scenes from his silent films. Modern films, on the other hand, tend to develop the victims in the film well enough so we can feel some connection. In other words, I would expect to feel the need to either laugh or cry if Chaplin were to depict this kind of situation. Unfortunately scenes are more uncomfortable to watch than they are compelling.
Perhaps this film is highly regarded for what it stands for, but as a fan of Chaplin's silent films, as well as a huge fan of comedic talkies from this era, I felt highly disappointed and nearly fell asleep watching the film.