The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume] (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1939-1992, 1940-10-25

sees an extremely interest
ing moving picture and
stumbles all over Helen Zig
mond's department in his
haste to pay tribute to a
great artist, Charlie Chap
lin, and to record his impress
sions of 'The Great Dicta-
tory
Charlie Chaplin, the inimitable,
lOvable little tramp of scores of
film classics in comedy, has done
a remarkable thing. Some will like
what he has done. Many others
will cordially hate it.
But whether they like it or hate
it, all will have to agree that Char
lie has attempted a daring stunt
and has carried it off with start
ling effect.
Charlie, the lOvabIe little tramp
with the winning Httle-tramp un-
derdog philosophy that was epit-
Omized by his dOIeful, shoulder,
struggling walk into the horizon as
his previous pictures invariably
ended, has partially Invested him
self of both the philosophy and
garments of the little tramp and
taken on the role of big tramp
the worlds biggest, Adolf Hitler
himself.
In doing it, Charlie has shat
tered three different precedents,
and shattered them in a manner
that both bemused and astounded
hardboiled group of newspaper
people that attended the New York
preview.
First, Charlie talked. 1t was the
first time in his long career on
the screen that he had spoken, al
though in his previous picture,
Modern Times" he has used
sound effects and had gargled a
bit of a tune. The Chaplin voice
is clipped, British-accented, alto
gether a most pleasant surprise.
Second, in "The Great Dictator"
Chaplin for the first time uses a
living, historical parsonage as his
central character and historic in
cldents for his theme. For a COM
edian to have essayed such thing
was daring enough. For Chaplin
to nave undertaken portrayal of a
monster of the character of Hit
Ter and to have elected to build his
story around the tragic persecu-
ton of the Jews and the ruthless
quest for territory is nothing short
of amazing.
Third, Charlie, who in the past
has been content to champion the
underdOg in his pantOmimic, some
times subtle, sometimes slapstick
fashion, has in "The Great Dicta-
tor" abandoned all subtlety and
openly, defiantly, proudly and pas
siOnately mounted the preachers
pulpit to drive home his message
"a plea for a return to sanity, toll
erance, peace in a world ridden by
hate, greed and violence
It is in this third point that the
sharpest controversy on the Sue
cess or failure of Chaplin's effort
will undoubtedly center. Does an
artist, particularly of comedian,
have the right to impose upon his
audience, which came to be
amused in the same manner in
which it had become accustomed,
an out-and-out sermon?
Whether or not he has that
right, Charlie has done it and in
this respect he has been daring,
has, indeed, gambled with the box
office to put over message that
has obviously been burning in his
breast for these many years. And
for his courage and for the genius
with which he has executed his
Self-impOSed mission, he has cap
tured the admiration and homage
of at least this Chaplin fan and,
he hopes, of millions of others.
The story of "The Great Dicta-
tor" is simple. It concerns Jew
ish barber, the tail end of the last
war, the defeated land of Tomania,
the rise of Adenoid Hynkel, the
savage, senseless persecution of
the Jews in a Tomanian ghetto.