The Great Chaplin

Rating: 10/10 (13 October 2007)

"The Great Dictator" is Charlie Chaplin's film set in the fictional country of Tomania, which is analogous to Germany prior to and during the rise of the Nazi party. Chaplin successfully blended humor with anti-fascist social commentary to produce a great film.
Chaplin himself has a double role in the film. First, he is Adenoid Hynkel, who represents Adolf Hitler. Chaplin manages to make his representation of the nefarious dictator highly amusing. He also plays another role as a Jewish barber subjected to the repressive policies of Hynkel. The other performances in the film were excellent as well, and Jack Oakie deserves particular note as the showy and blunt Benzini Napaloni, representing Benito Mussolini.
The film starts by showing Tomania in World War I, and there are some amusing scenes here before the end of the war and the rise of Hynkel. Hynkel is shown in a scene that mocks the platform speeches of Hitler. Admittedly I didn't find the speech shouted in mock German particularly amusing, although it was amusing how the Goebbels and Goering equivalents were named "Garbitsch" and "Herring".
After the platform speech, this film gains a lot of momentum. There is a variety of humor, including funny physical comedy scenes like the "globe" scene and the portrayal of Hynkel's routine. There was a lot of great comedic dialogue too, some of which is darkly humorous given the full historical context. When this film isn't funny, it remains interesting with its anti-fascist message through depictions of repressions of Jewish people by Storm Troopers. The film's score is appropriate in both the comedic and political scenes. Chaplin's final plea against fascism at the film's end remains deeply moving and has lost none of its potency. The Great Dictator" remains strong as a comedy film and a political message.