The Great Dictator

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Peter H Charlie Chaplin, you absolute dawg. This 5’5 lil gangster directed, wrote, produced, and composed the score (not to mention playing both of the main characters) for the single greatest comedic film ever made, and he did it all at a time when Gandhi was still alive. The comedy of this film is beyond brilliant. Blending a dry subtlety with bouts of ferocious slapstick is no easy task, but harder still is tackling such prickly material (especially in his time) with such an exuberance of nuanced confidence that you ground everything in wondrous character work, build your farce upon that storytelling, and then deploy character and conversation driven comedy as the catalyst for the satirical goal. This film is a culmination of everything that comedy ought to be. Phenomenally directed, with a message that (while obviously relevant in all eras) spoke transcendent volumes in 1940, “The Great Dictator” not only features perhaps the greatest monologue in the history of film, but also contains one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen from any actor, ever. Comedy has never been the same. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/21/24 Full Review Dani G The first "talkie" from Chaplin. I'll say he nailed it... But the most interesting part is that with all that, the film is worth its status, with just the final speech alone; one that is no comedy at all, one that can apply today. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/13/24 Full Review aRandomShyGuy A must-see for classic film enjoyers. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/22/24 Full Review Blu B It's crazy to think of a time when winning WWII wasn't a given but also a time when it looked like evil would win by all measures. And despite all that, this was made and still manages to make light of the situation while also being extremely hopeful that dictatorships/facism is just a passing thing in the march forward to good and progress. And the best remedy is to just laugh at how ridiculous it is. Really the only issue the music is really good but not super memorable on it's own or catchy. Everything else is masterfully done. Chaplin's physical acting, playing two characters, and his end speech are just masterful and above all else funny and engaging. It feels like a silent film weaved together with a Lubitsch film. The jokes always get a chuckle or are very clever even though I never laughed hysterically like Airplane type jokes. It's always funny, clever, engaging, and has plenty of gags and visual scenes I haven't ever seen before. All of it is worth it to get to the end speech and man....does it hit hard. As relevant as it was in 1940 and a All Time Classic everyone should watch once. Probably Chaplin's most accessible film as well given it's a talkie too. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/02/24 Full Review Lars N As relevant today as ever. And funny too. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/24/24 Full Review Alec B It's a little less great than people are willing to admit (a lot of Chaplin's comedic sensibilities at this time were still entrenched in antics that work better in silent movies) but there's so much to admire here and the parody of Nazi Germany holds up remarkably well. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Great Dictator

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