Wonderful satire on the Anti- Semitic Nazi regime

Rating: 10/10 (14 August 2010)

Along with The Gold Rush, Modern Times and City Lights(my personal favourite) this is one of my favourites from Charlie Chaplin. The Great Dictator is just a wonderful satire on the Anti-Semitic Nazi regime- Hitler mayn't have got the joke in this comedy, but I think he got the point.
The Great Dictator looks great, with some great dialogue and a chockful of great moments, comedic or not. It is also excellently directed, and features wonderful performances from Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie and especially the comedy genius himself. The Great Dictator has many great moments as I've said, but three scenes stand out especially. One is the barber dancing in time to a Hungarian dance by Brahms. Another is Hynkel's solo ballet with a globe of the world. My favourite though is the final speech, pleading for universal tolerance. Mawkish and outrageous it is, but also very powerful and quite ambitious if you put it in context(I can only imagine the controversy that scene alone caused).
Overall, wonderful and powerful. 10/10 Bethany Cox