|
The Great Dictator (1940) 8.5
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime. Director:Charles ChaplinWriter:Charles Chaplin |
| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
10 Best Action Heroes
We consulted IMDb's Highest-Rated Action-Family Films to came up with 10 scene-stealing action figures your kids can relate to, look up to, and be inspired by.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Related Items
Search for "The Great Dictator" on Amazon.com
Share this Rating
Title: The Great Dictator (1940)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
Modern Times
(1936)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Charles Chaplin
Stars:
Charles Chaplin,
Paulette Goddard,
Henry Bergman
City Lights
(1931)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Charles Chaplin
Stars:
Charles Chaplin,
Virginia Cherrill,
Florence Lee
The Gold Rush
(1925)
Adventure
|
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Charles Chaplin
Stars:
Charles Chaplin,
Mack Swain,
Tom Murray
The Circus
(1928)
Comedy
|
Romance
Director:
Charles Chaplin
Stars:
Charles Chaplin,
Merna Kennedy,
Al Ernest Garcia
Citizen Kane
(1941)
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Orson Welles
Stars:
Orson Welles,
Joseph Cotten,
Dorothy Comingore
Comedy
|
War
Director:
Stanley Kubrick
Stars:
Peter Sellers,
George C. Scott,
Sterling Hayden
Paths of Glory
(1957)
Drama
|
War
Director:
Stanley Kubrick
Stars:
Kirk Douglas,
Ralph Meeker,
Adolphe Menjou
North by Northwest
(1959)
Adventure
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Stars:
Cary Grant,
Eva Marie Saint,
James Mason
Vertigo
(1958)
Mystery
|
Romance
|
Thriller
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Stars:
James Stewart,
Kim Novak,
Barbara Bel Geddes
Sunset Blvd.
(1950)
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Billy Wilder
Stars:
William Holden,
Gloria Swanson,
Erich von Stroheim
Rear Window
(1954)
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Stars:
James Stewart,
Grace Kelly,
Wendell Corey
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Charles Chaplin | ... | ||
 |
Jack Oakie | ... |
Napaloni - Dictator of Bacteria
|
| Reginald Gardiner | ... | ||
| Henry Daniell | ... | ||
| 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
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Twenty years after the end of WWI in which the nation of Tomainia was on the losing side, Adenoid Hynkel has risen to power as the ruthless dictator of the country. He believes in a pure Aryan state, and the decimation of the Jews. This situation is unknown to a simple Jewish-Tomainian barber who has since been hospitalized the result of a WWI battle. Upon his release, the barber, who had been suffering from memory loss about the war, is shown the new persecuted life of the Jews by many living in the Jewish ghetto, including a washerwoman named Hannah, with whom he begins a relationship. The barber is ultimately spared such persecution by Commander Schultz, who he saved in that WWI battle. The lives of all Jews in Tomainia are eventually spared with a policy shift by Hynkel himself, who is doing so for ulterior motives. But those motives include a want for world domination, starting with the invasion of neighboring Osterlich, which may be threatened by Benzino Napaloni, the dictator ... Written by Huggo
Taglines:
Once again - the whole world laughs! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
7 March 1941 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Dictator See more »Box Office
Budget:
$2,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
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 somewhat.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The world premiere of the film was held at two packed theaters (the Astor and Capitol) in New York on 15 October 1940. It was a much anticipated gala affair attended by many luminaries, including Alfred E. Smith, James A. Farley, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., Fannie Hurst, Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester. Charles Chaplin and his wife and co-star Paulette Goddard made an appearance at both theaters. They watched the movie in a loge at the Capitol with H.G. Wells, Constance Collier and Tim Durant, among others. See more »Goofs
When the Jewish Barber cleans the word "Jew" off his shop window, a dotted line can be seen to mark where the W would be painted again for the next take. See more »Quotes
[first lines]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 somewhat.
See more »
"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 absorbed 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.