The Dictator

the Dictator ( The Great Dictator ) is a American film carried out by Charlie Chaplin in 1940.

Synopsis

During the First World War, an awkward soldier saves the life of the valorous Schultz pilot. After a few last years at the hospital, this soldier become amnesic takes again his trade of barber.

Adenoid Hynkel, the dictator of Tomanie which resembles to the hairdresser much, institutes a discrimination against the Jews. However the barber is itself Jewish. At the time of a raid, whereas Tomanie invade Österlich, Hynkel and the barber are confused, which constrained this last to improvise a memorable speech with the radio.

Comment

Except to the end, the film presents a succession of visual gags or situations, in particular when Hynkel plays with a inflatable terrestrial sphere, or when its counterpart of Bacterium (Benzino Napoloni) and compete to him on the height of their respective seats.

A poignant scene is that, only seen back, where the barber lengthily looks at burning his house. It will be quoted in several dedicated works with the visual language in the cinema.

This film is openly inspired by the Nazi regime set up by Hitler. The dictator incarnated by Chaplin is largely inspired by this one and the character of Benzino Napoloni makes think of the first glance with another dictator, Italian Benito Mussolini. Although realized before the beginning of the Second world war, the film implies the possibility of a new war in Europe at the same time as he points out the brutality of the Nazi regime.

At the time of his speeches, the dictator Hynkel expresses himself in English but also in a not very comprehensible and very aggressive language which points out the tone on which Hitler made its speeches in German. The disparity between the repetitive character of its language and the enriched translation that the translator gives some constitutes one of the comic elements of film.

Data sheet

  • Title: the Dictator

  • original Title: The Great Dictator
  • Production: United Artists
  • Realization: Charles Chaplin
  • Scenario: Charles Chaplin
  • Assitants realizers: Wheeler Dryden, daN James, Bob Meltzer
  • Director of the photography: Karl Struss, Roland Totheroh
  • Artistic director: J. Russell Spencer
  • Assembly: Willard Nico
  • Sound: Percy Townsend
  • Music: Chaplin, Wagner, Brahms
  • musical Direction: Meredith Wilson
  • Country: The United States
  • Format: Black and white - 1,33:1 - mono - 35 mm
  • Kind: dramatic comedy
  • Lasted: 124 minutes
  • Comings out date:
  • All public

Distribution

Around film

  • resemblance between Hitler and Chaplin, as their quasi-gemellity (they were born at four days from difference) were the object of some beautiful flights Astrologique S from the exit of this film.

  • Adolf Hitler made copy this film, and was made it project twice into private.

  • the symbol Nazi (the Swastika) does not appear at any time but is replaced (in particular on the flags and the arm-bands) by the double cross , another evocation of the Nazi regime. It should be noted that in English, " double cross" return to the concepts of treason or treachery, like to an operation of against-espionage on the initiative of the British during the second world war. See on this subject the article on anglophone Wikipédia.

  • visible postings in the Jewish ghetto are in English (language of the production of film) but also in Esperanto, in order not to refer to Germany clearly, and because this language was conceived by Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, a Jew, to indicate that the ghetto is well inhabited by Jews.

  • Of the extracts colors of turning, found later on, shows the pants of the militiamans of Hynkel in red.

  • At the time of its speeches as a dictator, Chaplin is expressed in a language of its invention which resembles German. The enriched version that the English interpreter at the time of the first speech gives, gives matter for many comic purposes.

  • sudden Chaplin of the pressures of United Artists in connection with this politically sensitive film (the United States was not yet engaged in the world war at that time), but it left nevertheless 6 months after the end turning.

  • the film was censured in Spain (until 1975), in Germany (until 1945; coming out date 1958!) and in Ireland.

  • the Dictator was a popular success (the greatest success of Chaplin), projected in London during the Bataille of England and nominated to the Oscar S.

See too

  • Historical of the Large Dictator on the official site
  • the Dictator on Internet Movie Database
  • the Dictator on AlloCiné
  • the file at the time of the exit of the DVD by MK2
  • Analysis of film on philosophiepolitique.net
  • the final speech (French translation)
  • Article on the found elements not retained with the assembly

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