Once again – the whole world laughs!|Oct. 23, 1940|United States|125 Min.|G
Genre: Comedy;War
Description: “The Great Dictator” (1940), directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, is a satirical film that critiques fascism and dictatorship. Set in the fictional nation of Tomainia, the story unfolds in two parallel narratives. In 1918, during World War I, a Jewish soldier saves the life of Commander Schultz, a Tomainian pilot, though both crash and the soldier loses his memory.
Twenty years later, the soldier, now a barber in a Jewish ghetto, falls in love with a woman named Hannah as they face persecution under the oppressive rule of dictator Adenoid Hynkel (also played by Chaplin). When the barber is captured by stormtroopers, Schultz recognizes him, helps restore his memory, and opposes Hynkel’s cruelty.
Meanwhile, Hynkel’s attempts to secure funding for his military lead to conflict with a Jewish banker, prompting a harsh crackdown on the ghetto. Schultz and the barber are eventually arrested and sent to a concentration camp, while Hannah and her family escape to safety in the neighboring country of Osterlich. The film is a powerful critique of tyranny and a call for humanity and resistance against oppression.
Cast director: Charlie Chaplin
Cast actor: Charlie Chaplin, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner, Henry Daniell, Billy Gilbert, Grace Hayle, Carter DeHaven, Paulette Goddard, Maurice Moscovitch, Emma Dunn
Original name: The Great Dictator