Home
search
more | tips
SHOP GREAT...
Amazon.com Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk Amazon.de Amazon.fr
IMDb > The Great Dictator (1940)
The Great Dictator
[Add to My Movies]
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Great Dictator (1940)

advertisement
Register or login to rate this title
User Rating: 8.4/10 (24,743 votes)
Photos (see all 24 | slideshow)
IMDb Coverage of Comic-Con 2008

Overview

Director:
Charles Chaplin
Writer:
Charles Chaplin (writer)
Release Date:
15 October 1940 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | War more
Tagline:
The Comedy Masterpiece! more
Plot:
In Chaplin's satire on Nazi Germany, dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a double... a poor Jewish barber... who one day is mistaken for Hynkel. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination more
User Comments:
Credit where it's due more
US TV Schedule:
Sat. Aug. 29:30 PMTCM   

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Charles Chaplin ... Adenoid Hynkel (Dictator of Tomania) / A Jewish Barber

Paulette Goddard ... Hannah
Jack Oakie ... Benzini Napaloni (Dictator of Bacteria)
Reginald Gardiner ... Commander Schultz
Henry Daniell ... Garbitsch
Billy Gilbert ... Field Marshal Herring
Grace Hayle ... Madame Napaloni
Carter DeHaven ... Spook (Bacterian ambassador) (as Carter De Haven)
Maurice Moscovitch ... Mr. Jaeckel
Emma Dunn ... Mrs. Jaeckel
Bernard Gorcey ... Mr. Mann
Paul Weigel ... Mr. Agar
Chester Conklin ... Barber's Customer
Esther Michelson ... Jewish Woman
Hank Mann ... Storm Trooper
Florence Wright ... Blonde Secretary
Eddie Gribbon ... Tomanian Storm Trooper
Rudolph Anders ... Tomanian Commandant at Osterlich (as Robert O. Davis)
Eddie Dunn ... Whitewashed Storm Trooper
Nita Pike ... Secretary
George Lynn ... Commander of Storm Troopers (as Peter Lynn)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich ... Soldier (uncredited)
Richard Alexander ... Tomainian Prison Guard in 1918 (uncredited)
William Arnold ... Tomanian officer (uncredited)
Sig Arno ... Compact parachute inventor (uncredited)
Joe Bordeaux ... Ghetto Extra (uncredited)
Don Brodie ... Reporter from International Press (uncredited)
Hans Conried ... Bit Role (uncredited)

Gino Corrado ... Sculptor (uncredited)
John Davidson ... Hospital superintendent (uncredited)
Max Davidson ... Jewish man (uncredited)
Lew Davis ... Hospital orderly (uncredited)
Francis Ernest Drake ... Stormtrooper (uncredited)
Wheeler Dryden ... Heinrich Schtick (translator) (uncredited)

Pat Flaherty ... Friendly Storm Trooper (uncredited)
Bud Geary ... Storm Trooper (uncredited)
Sam Harris ... Officer (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson ... Big Bertha gunnery officer (uncredited)
William Irving ... Man seated on bed (uncredited)
Charles Irwin ... Banquet Butler (uncredited)
Ethelreda Leopold ... Blonde secretary (uncredited)
Torben Meyer ... Bald barbershop customer (uncredited)
Jules Michelson ... Man in ghetto (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse ... Hynkel's staff officer (uncredited)
Nellie V. Nichols ... Jewish woman (uncredited)
Manuel París ... Dance Extra at Ball (uncredited)
Jack Perrin ... Jewish man (uncredited)
Lucien Prival ... Storm Trooper officer (uncredited)
Cyril Ring ... Officer Extra (uncredited)
Henry Roquemore ... Soldier (uncredited)
Tiny Sandford ... Soldier in 1918 Tomainia (uncredited)
Hans Schumm ... Soldier (uncredited)
Harry Semels ... Jewish Fruit Stand Proprietor (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan ... Prison Guard (uncredited)
Carl Voss ... Officer (uncredited)
Leo White ... Hynkel's barber (uncredited)
Harry Wilson ... Soldier in Field (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Charles Chaplin 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Charles Chaplin  writer

Produced by
Charles Chaplin .... producer
Carter DeHaven .... associate producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Meredith Willson 
Charles Chaplin (uncredited)
 
Cinematography by
Karl Struss 
Roland Totheroh 
 
Film Editing by
Willard Nico 
 
Art Direction by
J. Russell Spencer 
 
Set Decoration by
Edward G. Boyle (uncredited)
 
Makeup Department
Ed Voight .... makeup artist (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Alfred Reeves .... production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wheeler Dryden .... assistant director
Dan James .... assistant director
Bob Meltzer .... assistant director
Alex Finlayson .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
William Bogdanoff .... construction foreman (uncredited)
Clem Widrig .... property master (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Glenn Rominger .... sound
Percy Townsend .... sound
 
Special Effects by
Jack Cosgrove .... special photographic effects (uncredited)
Ralph Hammeras .... special photographic effects (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Buster Wiles .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Testera .... chief electrician (uncredited)
William Wallace .... still photographer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Wyn Ritchie .... costumer (uncredited)
Ted Tetrick .... costume supervisor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Meredith Willson .... musical director
Al Kaye .... music librarian (uncredited)
Meredith Willson .... conductor (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Henry Bergman .... production coordinator (uncredited)
Kay Clement .... secretary (uncredited)
Evelyn Earle .... script clerk (uncredited)
Monroe Greenthal .... press representative (uncredited)
Moody .... dailies projectionist (uncredited)
Kathleen Pryor .... secretary (uncredited)
Max Terr .... assistant: Mr. Willson (uncredited)
Gene Testera .... filing clerk (uncredited)
Carl Voss .... military advisor (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete



Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Dictator (USA) (working title)
Dictateur, Le (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Dictator Ha-Gadol, Ha- (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Diktátor (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Diktaattori (Finland) [fi]
Diktator, De (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Diktator, O (Greece) [el]
Diktatoren (Denmark) [da]
Diktatorn (Sweden) [sv]
Dittatore, Il (Italy) [it]
Dyktator (Poland) [pl]
Gran dictador, El (Spain) [es]
Grande Ditador, O (Portugal) [pt]
Grande dittatore, Il (Italy) [it]
Große Diktator, Der (Germany) [de]
Megalos diktator, O (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Store diktator, Den (Denmark) [da]
more
Runtime:
124 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Esperanto
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Brazil:Livre | South Korea:All | Germany:6 (DVD rating) | UK:U (original rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Denmark:7 (2003) | Finland:K-12 | Finland:S (re-release) | France:U | Germany:(Banned) (original rating) | Ireland:(Banned) (original rating) | Ireland:PG (re-rating) | Norway:7 | Spain:(Banned) (1940-1976) | Spain:T (re-rating) (1976) | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG (re-rating) (2003) | USA:Approved (PCA #6611) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | West Germany:12 (original rating)
MOVIEmeter: ?
^ 14% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Some reports refute Charles Chaplin's claims of ignorance as to the true extent of Nazi atrocities, stating that Chaplin was very much aware of the various goings-on, but decided to make the film anyway as an attack on Nazi ideology. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When Hynkel is chased in the ghetto streets by stormtroopers, one studio building can be seen in the upper right corner of the frame. more
Quotes:
Adenoid Hynkel: Schultz, why have you forsaken me? more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Hitler: The Comedy Years (2007) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Hungarian Dance No. 5 more

FAQ

Is this movie based on a novel?
A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
How did Chaplin accomplish the upside down plane stunt?
more
38 out of 50 people found the following comment useful:-
Credit where it's due, 7 January 1999
Author: Valerie Perry (valperry@hotmail.com) from Taegu, South Korea

Aside from giving this film its proper socio-historical credit as one of only 2 U.S films which condemned Hitler, Naziism and the Holocaust prior to U.S. involvement in WWII, it's a great time as well. Much of the humor remains visual, and some of the funniest (and most famous) scenes are done in the silent mode (e.g. the globe). Although a bit more lacking in continuity and editing than many of Chaplin's earlier films, to do it credit simply as a passable first effort at a new medium is to damn it with faint praise. It's unique. No serious student of film can neglect to see and appreciate The Great Dictator as a classic amalgam of film talents.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for The Great Dictator (1940)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
My Re-enactment ( on YouTube ) Moha-C-Beech
Charlie Chaplin the Stud candylandsucks
Brahm's Hungarian Dance No. 5 babal-1
The baloon ballet crazygooddrummer
About Hitler Speech in 'The Tramp and the Dictator' Erwin1350
Slightly overrated :) CK_Dexter_Haven
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Modern Times Mother Night The English Patient San Paolo
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb top 250 movies IMDb Comedy section
IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.