Trailer

The Great Dictator (1940)

Passed   |    |  Comedy, Drama, War

The Great Dictator (1940) Poster

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

TIP
Add this title to your Watchlist
Save movies and shows to keep track of what you want to watch.
8.5/10
176,354
Rate
Critic Reviews

Videos

Photos

  • Charles Chaplin 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)
  • The Great Dictator (1940)
  • Charlie Chaplin at a press conference for the premiere of "The Great Dictator" Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York City October 1940

See all photos

More of What You Love

Find what you're looking for even quicker with the IMDb app on your smartphone or tablet.

Get the IMDb app

Cast & Crew

Top Billed Cast

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin

Awards

Nominated for 5 Oscars.

Another 6 wins & 1 nomination.

Top Rated Movies #55

Reviews & Commentary

Add a Review

User Reviews
22 December 2003 | Platymania
9
| A film of its time, without a modern equal
This film entered production before WW2 began, but was not released until it was well under way. With significant fascist-sympathy in the US, and Chaplin himself being suspected as a communist sympathiser, The Great Dictator was a very courageous endeavour. Such risks in film-making - thinly veiled political statements - would be almost inconceivable today. Imagine the fallout if someone were to make an equally satirical film today which criticised the USA's foreign policy?

This film is hilarious, poignant and tragic. The tragedy is that Chaplin makes a plea for the madness to end, but it is already to late - for him and for us. A must see if you have any interest whatsoever in history, film-making, politics or sattire as an art-form.

Critic Reviews

More Like This

  • City Lights

    City Lights

  • Sunset Boulevard

    Sunset Boulevard

  • The Circus

    The Circus

  • Citizen Kane

    Citizen Kane

  • Rear Window

    Rear Window

  • North by Northwest

    North by Northwest

  • Casablanca

    Casablanca

  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

    Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

  • Cinema Paradiso

    Cinema Paradiso

  • Vertigo

    Vertigo

  • Paths of Glory

    Paths of Glory

  • Singin' in the Rain

    Singin' in the Rain

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was Charles Chaplin's biggest-ever box-office hit, grossing about $5 million (in U.S. dollars) at the time.

Quotes

Title Cards: Note, any resemblance between Hynkle the Dictator and the Jewish Barber is purely co-incidental.
Title Cards: This is a story of a period between two World Wars - an interim in which Insanity cut loose. Liberty took a nose dive, and Humanity was kicked around ...

Goofs

(at around 1h 27 mins) When Hynkel is tearing the medals off of Herring after learning that Napaloni has beaten him to Osterlich, a distant shot shows a remaining striped ribbon on the right side of Herring's jacket. In the subsequent close shot, that ribbon is gone.

Crazy Credits

[Prologue] This is a story of a period between two World Wars -- an interim in which Insanity cut loose. Liberty took a nose dive and Humanity was kicked around somewhat

The World War 1918

Alternate Versions

In Italy, all the scenes that involved Napaloni's wife were cut from the movie to respect Mussolini's widow, Rachele. The complete version wasn't seen until 2002.

Soundtracks

Hungarian Dance No. 5
(uncredited)
Written by Johannes Brahms
Played on the radio during the shaving scene

Storyline

Plot Summary

Synopsis (WARNING: Spoilers)

Genres

Comedy | Drama | War

Details

Release Date:

7 March 1941

Language

English, Esperanto

Country of Origin

USA

Filming Locations

Agoura Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€9,826 (Italy) (22 December 2002)

User Polls

Favorite Parody Movie
Written, directed and starring the same person
Movies You Love, but Dictators Hate
Which fictional country would you most like to visit?
Eye-Opening Movies
The Criterion Collection Covers

Want to Make a Cult Classic? Start With a Classic Cult

Paul Rust, writer and star of Netflix's "Love," was really into cults when he wrote a script he now calls "100% unproduceable." We're giving it a shot and bringing his idea to life.

Find out what happens on "UnMade"

Featured on IMDb

Check out our guide to the Academy Awards, our coverage of the 2019 awards season, and more.

Around The Web

 | 

Powered by ZergNet

More To Explore

Search on Amazon.com