The Tramp takes down a tyrant...

Rating: 10/10 (7 July 2013)

Chaplin's 'The Great Dictator' is a masterpiece whose only fault is that even Chaplin could not imagine the horrors Adolf Hitler was capable of. It is a very funny film about the darkest horrors of modern history. Chaplin was a comedic genius and 'The Great Dictator' is in my humble opinion, his finest hour. There is no greater creative feat than to take the powerful oppressor and strip him of all his power through art. Chaplin's take on Hitler strips him of all his power. The greater clown was and always will be Adolf Hitler for his reprehensible evil views which Chaplin shows through his humor were incredibly stupid as well.
'The Great Dictator' is very much a film of it's time. Chaplin apparently said that he would not have made it had he known the extent of the atrocities committed by the Nazi. Indeed some of the film has a certain creepiness because we know what we know. I still sort of grimace a bit with the subplot involving the banker Epstein and Hynkel's temporary flirtation with the Jews. The timeless aspect of it though is how it skews the theatricality of such tyrants. Hitler was all show and no substance. What Chaplin does is brutally and often hilariously parody the theatrics behind the Nazi regime. Hitler's greatest power is in how he was able to generate emotion through his grandiose speeches. I've seen the Riefenstahl pictures and to be honest they scare me more than any horror film. Chaplin being the genius he was sees humor in them. It's obvious that Chaplin spent a great deal of time studying his subject as Hitler's mannerisms are copied to the tee and he outdoes himself in parodying them. The impersonation shows how silly the real thing was.
I don't think it was ever Chaplin's intention to undermine the dangers of fascism. Adenoid Hynkel is a humorous and inept boob but he is a very real danger and Chaplin generates disgust from his audience as well as laughs. It is a credit to his tremendous skills as an actor and storyteller that he can balance these aspects of the character so well. There's a fiery and aggressive violent streak in Hynkel and he is capable of terrible things and yet we see him for what he really is, a bully who hides his awkwardness and insecurities with his violent fascist views.
The Little Tramp is as charming and lovable as ever. I know there is debate as to whether or not the Jewish Barber is the final incantation of Chaplin's tramp and as a Chaplin fan I believe that he absolutely is and that 'The Great Dictator' is Chaplin's 'killing off' the character. The Tramp was always a reflection of the times he lived in and Chaplin did not alter the times to fit comedy. He put his Tramp in situations that showed how ugly the world could be. The Tramp is always a victim of the worst society has to offer it's poor and huddled masses. In 'The Great Dictator' the Tramp has encountered the pinnacle of ugliness man kind is capable of. Chaplin is still as funny as ever but it is shocking to see the Tramp do his slapstick in the streets where 'JEW' is painted on windows or when he plays hot potato with weapons designed to decimate and maim. This could have been a very depressing movie and yet it is heart warming and hopeful because the Tramp always represents faith in the goodness of mankind. Chaplin's speech at the end is a condemnation of fascism to be sure but it is also a eulogy to the tramp and what he stood for. Chaplin absolutely earned the right to such a speech despite it's theatricality because it perfectly sums up the Tramp's entire story. You must have faith in a better tomorrow and most importantly in your self.
I think through comedy we have gotten the truest depiction of what Hitler really was. Too many times artists want to portray him as evil incarnate. If Hitler was evil incarnate than the inexcusable Holocaust has an excuse. 'The Great Dictator' and Chaplin's performance bring him out into the open. Hitler was a damn fool