Criterion Classics: 'The Great Dictator' (1940)
As the streaming wars wage on, The Criterion Channel, HboMax, Prime Video and even the occasional Netflix pre-1980 bone, have made it easier than ever for the filmmakers of tomorrow to find the gems of yesterday. This is: ‘The Great Dictator.’
Fascism: Some of us are introduced to it on the pages of our history books and some on the channels of a tv screen. While the horrifying images of the holocaust might shock and scare us into believing nothing so sickening could ever happen again, it’s seemingly lurking just around the corner these days. With the United States’ Presidential election less than two months away, concerns over the executive branch’s abuse of power intensifies and political unrest is reaching its zenith. So, it was only fitting to start this series off with one of the most revered satires of all time, ‘The Great Dictator.’
Through biting sarcasm and classic “Tramp” wit, the writer, director and of course star of the film, Charlie Chaplin, tackles perhaps two of the most reviled people in history; Hitler and to a smaller extent, Mussolini. The atrocities of their actions need not be recounted here but much like Taika Waititi’s recent portrayal of the monster in ‘Jojo Rabbit,’ audiences at the time got the joke and generally praised Chaplin’s dual role, and his foray into the talkies.
As the opening title card states: “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.” It begins with “The World War” of 1918 and ends presumably in 1945. Right from the first few scenes, the film comments on the absurdity of war. A comically massive canon is loaded with an equally large bullet as we’re introduced to Chaplin’s (first) character; a soldier. As Chaplin pulls the firing cord, the bullet limply sputters out the end of the barrel. A wonderful sight gag that mocks the phallic weapons of war and the flaccid machismo of the men who start them. Through clever stage blocking, we learn Chaplin’s rank is that of Private as his superiors pass an order down the line until it reaches him.
FROM THE EVERETT COLLECTION.
Obviously, coming from a comedy maestro like Chaplin, the film is full of cheeky humor that made him a household name. For example, “20 years later” we’re introduced to his second character, the dictator Hynkel, giving a speech in Mock German at a mock Hitler rally. There is a little cartoonish moment where the microphones anthropomorphize and lean away from Hynkel’s angry shouting as if they were offended by his lack of personal space and airborne spittle. This provides bathos for what, in reality, were frighteningly serious moments in history. Even ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, when mirroring Hitler’s famous rally speeches, took it deathly serious. Not that ‘Star Wars’ is a comedy like ‘The Great Dictator’ but the fact that a movie about space wizards can still use this imagery to depict evil, says a lot about Chaplin’s ability to take the piss out of these real life villains.
The film’s hero, Chaplin as the Private from the start of the film, returns home with amnesia after a plane crash during the war. He regains his previous job as a barber but doesn’t realize his town, a stand-in for Berlin, has been overrun by stormtroopers and Hynkel’s anti-Semitic regime. While it is with this character that we ultimately sympathize and adore as another version of the lower-class Tramp character audiences have grown to love with his shabby appearance and classic hilarious pantomiming, it is the titular dictator where Chaplin shows his surprisingly superb acting range. There’s of course the screaming Hitler caricature but also scenes showing the childlike playfulness of Hynkel bouncing a helium filled globe off of his butt; which was clearly meant to emasculate the character as he pirouettes around the room. Similarly, Chaplin’s subtle nuances in the simple yet funny dialogue scenes with his officers depict a sadness beneath the fascist’s shell that I was not expecting from the man known for making big, silly faces during the silent era. Especially since this was his first film with dialogue.
‘Triumph of the Will’ had been released only 5 years prior to ‘The Great Dictator’ and upon seeing ‘Triumph’ Chaplin said he found Hitler’s cracking voice “laughable” and watched it many times to learn the tyrant’s mannerisms, according to “Leni Riefenstahl: A Life” by Jürgen Trimborn. Clearly, from the army formations to the close ups of a raging Hynkel were meant to evoke the Nazi propaganda. However, this is still a very old film confined to the technology of the time. Thus, the camera techniques are aggressively straightforward and limited to mostly static, medium or close up shots. The amount of dolly moves can be counted on one hand supplemented by the occasional pan. Regardless of my spoiled 2020 vision lamenting the lackluster cinematic techniques, Chaplin is clearly in complete control of the visual storytelling.
The film ends with the protagonist, Chaplin’s Jewish barber/private, being mistaken for the dictator, Hynkel. The swap was inventible and obvious from the start but the beautiful monologue the barber gives is a rousing rebuttal to the hateful speeches the fictional Hynkel and unfortunately nonfictional Hitler were known for. Chaplin starts out nervous and humble; quietly saying how he doesn’t want to rule over or conquer anyone and how humanity has “lost the way.” Then his voice becomes stronger, building with confidence until finally he, as passionately as Hynkel, cries out, “let us fight to free the world! Do away with greed, hate and intolerance! In the name of Democracy, let us all unite!” An inspirationally humanitarian speech that, although might not be done so forcefully today as staring straight into camera and shouting themes of world peace, is undoubtedly what audiences needed then and probably still do now.
What can we take from this film 80 years later? Well, as we’ve learned over the past four years, satire and absurdity aren’t always as effective when there’s a random scandal generator and literal reality star as president. However, the idea of knocking a tyrant down a few pegs through film and art are one of the few forms of power we civilians have. At the very least, satire hopefully provides insight and educates others on the danger of these authoritarians if someone somehow can’t see it for themselves. Maybe it takes a joke or being the butt of one to finally see the harsh reality instead of a pleasant perspective but in the words of the Tramp himself: “One doesn’t have to be a Jew to be anti Nazi. All one has to be is a normal decent human being.”