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The Great Dictator

  • 19401940
  • GG
  • 2h 5m
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
220K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,801
389
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Charles Chaplin and Paulette Goddard in The Great Dictator (1940)
Three Reasons Criterion Trailer for The Great Dictator
Play trailer1:32
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • War

Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.

IMDb RATING
8.4/10
220K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,801
389
  • Director
    • Charles Chaplin
  • Writer
    • Charles Chaplin
  • Stars
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Paulette Goddard
    • Jack Oakie
Top credits
  • Director
    • Charles Chaplin
  • Writer
    • Charles Chaplin
  • Stars
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Paulette Goddard
    • Jack Oakie
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 317User reviews
    • 120Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #63
    • Nominated for 5 Oscars
      • 6 wins & 6 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Great Dictator: The Criterion Collection
    Trailer 1:32
    The Great Dictator: The Criterion Collection

    Photos138

    Charles Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin and Jack Oakie in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin and Paulette Goddard in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin, Henry Daniell, Carter DeHaven, and Jack Oakie in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940)
    Charles Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charles Chaplin
    Charles Chaplin
    • Hynkel - Dictator of Tomaniaas Hynkel - Dictator of Tomania…
    Paulette Goddard
    Paulette Goddard
    • Hannahas Hannah
    Jack Oakie
    Jack Oakie
    • Napaloni - Dictator of Bacteriaas Napaloni - Dictator of Bacteria
    Reginald Gardiner
    Reginald Gardiner
    • Schultzas Schultz
    Henry Daniell
    Henry Daniell
    • Garbitschas Garbitsch
    Billy Gilbert
    Billy Gilbert
    • Herringas Herring
    Grace Hayle
    Grace Hayle
    • Madame Napalonias Madame Napaloni
    Carter DeHaven
    Carter DeHaven
    • Bacterian Ambassadoras Bacterian Ambassador
    • (as Carter De Haven)
    Maurice Moscovitch
    Maurice Moscovitch
    • Mr. Jaeckelas Mr. Jaeckel
    • (as Maurice Moscovich)
    Emma Dunn
    Emma Dunn
    • Mrs. Jaeckelas Mrs. Jaeckel
    Bernard Gorcey
    Bernard Gorcey
    • Mr. Mannas Mr. Mann
    Paul Weigel
    • Mr. Agaras Mr. Agar
    Chester Conklin
    Chester Conklin
    • Barber's Customeras Barber's Customer
    Esther Michelson
    • Jewish Womanas Jewish Woman
    Hank Mann
    Hank Mann
    • Storm Trooper Stealing Fruitas Storm Trooper Stealing Fruit
    Florence Wright
    • Blonde Secretaryas Blonde Secretary
    Eddie Gribbon
    Eddie Gribbon
    • Tomanian Storm Trooperas Tomanian Storm Trooper
    Rudolph Anders
    Rudolph Anders
    • Tomanian Commandant at Osterlichas Tomanian Commandant at Osterlich
    • (as Robert O. Davis)
    • Director
      • Charles Chaplin
    • Writer
      • Charles Chaplin
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    20 years after the end of WWI, in which the nation of Tomainia was on the losing side, Adenoid Hynkel has risen to power as the ruthless dictator of the country. He believes in a pure Aryan state and the decimation of the Jews. This situation is unknown to a simple Jewish Tomainian barber who has been hospitalized since a WWI battle. Upon his release the barber, who had been suffering from memory loss about the war, is shown the new persecuted life of the Jews by many living in the Jewish ghetto, including a washerwoman named Hannah with whom he begins a relationship. The barber is ultimately spared such persecution by Commander Schultz, whom he saved in that WWI battle. The lives of all Jews in Tomainia are eventually spared with a policy shift by Hynkel himself, who is doing so for ulterior motives. But those motives include a desire for world domination, starting with the invasion of neighboring Osterlich, which may be threatened by Benzino Napaloni, the dictator of neighboring Bacteria. Ultimately Schultz, who has turned traitor against Hynkel's regime, and the barber may be able to join forces to take control of the situation, using Schultz's inside knowledge of the regime's workings and the barber's uncanny resemblance to one of those in power. —Huggo
    • dictator
    • invented language
    • 1910s
    • slapstick comedy
    • adolf hitler character
    • 114 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The Comedy Masterpiece!
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • War
    • Certificate
      • G
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Adolf Hitler banned the film in Germany and in all countries occupied by the Nazis. Curiosity got the best of him, and he had a print brought in through Portugal. History records that he screened it twice, in private, but history did not record his reaction to the film. Sir Charles Chaplin said, "I'd give anything to know what he thought of it." For political reasons in Germany, the ban stayed after the end of WWII until 1958.
    • Goofs
      (at around 35 mins) When the Barber is chased in the Ghetto streets by Stormtroopers, one California studio building can be seen in the upper right corner of the frame.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      A Jewish Barber: I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone, and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The airplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men; cries out for universal brotherhood; for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say, do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. Soldiers! Don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you; who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men - machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines, you are not cattle, you are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don't hate! Only the unloved hate; the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers! Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of St. Luke, it is written that the kingdom of God is within man, not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people, have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy, let us use that power. Let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. Now let us fight to fulfill that promise. Let us fight to free the world! To do away with national barriers! To do away with greed, with hate and intolerance! Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness. Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all unite! Hannah, can you hear me? Wherever you are, look up Hannah! The clouds are lifting! The sun is breaking through! We are coming out of the darkness into the light! We are coming into a new world; a kindlier world, where men will rise above their hate, their greed, and brutality. Look up, Hannah! The soul of man has been given wings and at last he is beginning to fly. He is flying into the rainbow! Into the light of hope, into the future! The glorious future, that belongs to you, to me and to all of us. Look up, Hannah. Look up!

      Mr. Jaeckel: Hannah, did you hear that?

      Hannah: Listen...

    • Crazy credits
      The film is obviously a satire on Adolf Hitler, represented by Adenoid Hynkel, and its story is based on Hynkel looking exactly like "a Jewish barber": both are played by Charles Chaplin. But it begins with a notice: "Any resemblance between Hynkel the dictator and the Jewish barber is purely co-incidental".
    • Alternate versions
      In Italy, all the scenes that involved Napaloni's wife were cut from the movie to respect Benito Mussolini's widow, Rachele. The complete version wasn't seen until 2002.
    • Connections
      Edited into Amérique, notre histoire (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Hungarian Dance No. 5
      (uncredited)

      Written by Johannes Brahms

      Played on the radio during the shaving scene

    User reviews317

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    An entertaining comedy with a great end speech
    The Great Dictator is Chaplin's parody about the Nazi Germany with scenes that make you laugh no matter in what mood you are.

    Beside this ,from my point of view the movie's best part is the superb speech by the Jewish Barber ,a speech's thoughts that if would existed a little bit in Hitler's mind too it would had a chance for the world too pas a second world war.

    The Speech: "I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor.

    That's not my business.

    I don't want to rule or conquer anyone.

    I should like to help everyone: Jew, gentile, black man, white.

    We all want to help one another.

    Human beings are like that.

    We want to live by each other's happiness, not misery.

    We don't want to hate one another.

    In this world, the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.

    The way of life can be free and beautiful but we have lost the way.

    Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into bloodshed.

    We have developed speed but have shut ourselves in.

    Machinery has left us in want.

    Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness, hard and unkind.

    We think too much and feel too little.

    More than machinery we need humanity.

    More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness.

    Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost...

    The airplane and radio have brought us closer.

    These inventions cry out for the goodness in man, cry out for universal brotherhood, for the unity of us all.

    Even now my voice is reaching millions, millions of despairing men, women and children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.

    To those who can hear me I say, do not despair.

    The misery upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress.

    The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took will return to the people.

    So long as men die liberty will never perish.

    Soldiers, don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you, regiment your lives, tell you what to think and feel, who drill you, treat you like cattle and use you as cannon fodder.

    Don't give yourselves to these men, machine men with machine minds and machine hearts.

    You are not machines, you are not cattle, you are men! You have the love of humanity in you.

    Don't hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural hate.

    Soldiers, don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty! St Luke says, "The Kingdom of God is within man." Not in one man nor a group of men, but in all men. In you! You have the power to create machines, the power to create happiness.

    You have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

    In the name of democracy, let us use that power.

    Let us all unite, let us fight for a new world, a world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age security.

    Promising these things, brutes have risen.

    But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people.

    Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance.

    Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to the happiness of all.

    Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us unite!"
    helpful•26
    3
    • AttilaD87
    • Nov 2, 2008

    FAQ8

    • Is this movie based on a book?
    • What is the name of the country that Hynkel ruled?
    • Which people in real life are the characters supposed to represent?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 7, 1941 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Instagram
      • Official Site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Esperanto
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • The Dictator
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Monica Mountains, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Charles Chaplin Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $970,263
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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