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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 politcal satire with an important message more (124 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
more
Create a character page for: ?

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:
The German spoken by the dictator is complete nonsense. The language in which the shop signs, posters, etc in the "Jewish" quarter are written is Esperanto, a language created in 1887 by Dr L.L. Zamenhof, a Polish Jew. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When the Barber and Schultz are flying upside down, the wire waving Schultz's scarf is visible. more
Quotes:
Adenoid Hynkel: Schultz, why have you forsaken me? more
Movie Connections:
References The Champion (1915) more
Soundtrack:
Prelude to 'Lohengrin' more

FAQ

Did Chaplin make this movie as a spoof on the Holocaust?
What is the name of the country that Hynkel ruled?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more
20 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
A politcal satire with an important message, 9 January 2001
Author: lugonian from Kissimmee, Florida

"The Great Dictator" (United Artists, 1940), became the long awaited talking debut of silent film comedian, Charlie Chaplin (who also wrote and directed), in a political satire on Adolph Hitler, only the way Chaplin dared to do at the time. He plays a Jewish barber and Hynkel, dictator of Tomania. Some of the humor cannot really be obsorbed at first glance, but after repeated viewing, it gets better. My personal classic moment occurs with Chaplin in the barber shop working on a bald-headed customer by giving him a shave while listening to a classical composition on the radio, never missing a beat. Co-starring opposite Chaplin for the second and final time is Paulette Goddard as Hannah. Goddard became the only Chaplin leading lady to ever make a success on her own while the others just drifted to "B" movies or faded away. Jack Oakie as Napaloni, the Dictator of Bacteria (a spoof on Mussolini), appears late in the story but shares with Chaplin some of its brilliant comedic moments. Both Chaplin and Oakie earned Academy Award nominations for their performances (Chaplin for Best Actor/Oakie for Best Supporting Actor), but no wins. Henry Daniell as Garbitsch and Reginald Gardiner as Schultz also share the spotlight. Aside from Chaplin's screenplay in poking fun of its then current issues on European invasion by the Nazis, "The Great Dictator" expertly blends satire with dramatic overtones. Its closing scene in which Chaplin makes a speech pleading for all people to follow the path of peace, brotherhood and democracy, is not to be missed. Whether this movie is above or beyond the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup" (Paramount, 1933) is anyone's matter of taste.

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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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