IMDb > The Great Dictator (1940)
The Great Dictator
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The Great Dictator (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (written by)

Contact:

View company contact information for The Great Dictator on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

7 March 1941 (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

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination more

NewsDesk:
(11 articles)

Tiff 2009 Day 7: Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Micmacs
 (From ioncinema. 20 September 2009)

Imran Khan says Look Up!
 (From Bollyspice. 5 August 2009, 6:03 AM, PDT)

User Comments:

A film of its time, without a modern equal more (124 total)


Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Charles Chaplin ... Hynkel - Dictator of Tomania / A Jewish Barber
Jack Oakie ... Napaloni - Dictator of Bacteria
Reginald Gardiner ... Schultz
Henry Daniell ... Garbitsch
Billy Gilbert ... Herring
Grace Hayle ... Madame Napaloni
Carter DeHaven ... Bacterian Ambassador (as Carter De Haven)

Paulette Goddard ... Hannah
Maurice Moscovitch ... Mr. Jaeckel (as Maurice Moscovich)
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 Stealing Fruit
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:
Wheeler Dryden ... Heinrich Schtick - Translator (voice)
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 ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)

Gino Corrado ... Sculptor (uncredited)
John Davidson ... Hospital Superintendent (uncredited)
Max Davidson ... Jewish Man (uncredited)
Lew Davis ... Hospital Orderly (uncredited)
Francis Ernest Drake ... Storm Ttrooper (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)
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Directed by
Charles Chaplin 
 
Writing credits
Charles Chaplin (written by)

Produced by
Charles Chaplin .... producer (uncredited)
Carter DeHaven .... associate producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Charles Chaplin (uncredited)
Meredith Willson (uncredited)
 
Cinematography by
Karl Struss (director of photography)
Roland Totheroh (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Willard Nico 
Harold Rice (uncredited)
 
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)
Dick Fritsch .... assistant art director (uncredited)
Frank Veseley .... painter (uncredited)
Clem Widrig .... props (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Glenn Rominger .... sound
Percy Townsend .... sound
 
Special Effects by
Jack Cosgrove .... special effects (uncredited)
Ralph Hammeras .... special 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)
Max Terr .... assistant musical director (uncredited)
Meredith Willson .... conductor (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Henry Bergman .... general assistant (uncredited)
Rollin Brown .... laboratory contact (uncredited)
Kay Clement .... secretary (uncredited)
Evelyn Earle .... script clerk (uncredited)
Monroe Greenthal .... press representative (uncredited)
Moody .... dailies projectionist (uncredited)
Kathleen Pryor .... secretary (uncredited)
Gene Testera .... filing clerk (uncredited)
Carl Voss .... military advisor (uncredited)
Oscar Wright .... purchasing (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

The Dictator (USA) (working title)
El gran dictador (Argentina) (Chile) (Colombia) (Mexico) (Spain) (Uruguay) [es]
Le dictateur (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Büyük diktatör (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
De diktator (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Den store diktator (Denmark) [da]
Der große Diktator (Germany) [de]
Diktátor (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Diktaattori (Finland) [fi]
Diktatoren (Denmark) [da]
Diktatorn (Sweden) [sv]
Dyktator (Poland) [pl]
Ha-Dictator Ha-Gadol (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Il dittatore (Italy) [it]
Il grande dittatore (Italy) [it]
O Grande Ditador (Portugal) [pt]
O diktator (Greece) [el]
O megalos diktator (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
more

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Esperanto

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Germany:6 (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Spain:18 (re-rating) (1976) | 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) | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG (re-rating) (2003) | USA:Approved (PCA #6611) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | West Germany:12 (original rating)


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

When Charles Chaplin's young son Sydney Chaplin saw the scene where the artillery shell drops out of the supergun for the first time, he burst out laughing. It ruined the take. more

Goofs:

Continuity: After Hynkle's "Tighten our belts" remark, Herring tightens his belt, which breaks when he sits down. However whenever we see Herring later in the scene, his belt is intact. more

Quotes:

Adenoid Hynkel: Schultz, why have you forsaken me? more

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Ultimate Film (2004) (TV) more

Soundtrack:

Prelude to 'Lohengrin' more


FAQ

What is the name of the country that Hynkel ruled?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more
55 out of 75 people found the following comment useful.
A film of its time, without a modern equal, 22 December 2003
9/10
Author: David from Kingswood, Australia

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.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Great Dictator (1940)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Chaplin's worst? alexbrownson
charlie chaplin's speech at the end neongod64
What do you think happened to the Barber and Schultz? zjm
Napaloni's wife? WillBarks
A bit of irony... jogerston
chaplins first speaking role? jschwa97
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