This one lived up to expectations.

Rating: Null/10 (12 May 2006)

I can recall my brother (3 years older) talking about seeing this one back in 1957 or so, and I saw a few print references over the years, but in that pre-VCR-DVD-Downlaod age the only way you caught a classic movie was on the tube (3 networks plus independent stations depending on where you lived) so I didn't see this one until I was in college in the 1970s, but it lived up to expectations. Chaplin's first talking film and he does a fine job, much of the dialogue is clever and memorable, my favorite line being from the scene where Hynkel is being briefed by Garbitsch, the latter refers to the problems of an austerity regime gearing up for war, in his Henry Daniell voice he mentions "Complaints about the quality of the sawdust in the artificial bread." The casting is inspired, Henry Daniell as "Garbitsch", Billy Gilbert as "Herring" and Jack Oakie as "Napoloni"-he really did look like Mussolini and has a lot of his mannerisms down pat. I read that much of Chaplin's best dialogue were the speeches he gave in mock-German, they are effective, I speak enough German to know that is what "Der Fooey" sounded like, and the scene where Hynkel says "mussten skrimpen und saven und tighten den belten" and Herring jumps up and says "Hail Hynkel, Ich will been den firsten", the timing is superb and is worth waiting for.