In the halls of the New York theaters “Capitol“ and “Astor“ the audience first saw Charlie Chaplin as the dictator Adenoid Hynkel and as a Jewish barber, whose fate was intertwined with that of the regime. On October 15, 1940, “The Great Dictator“ made its premiere at a time when the war was already raging in Europe, and the United States had not yet officially entered the conflict.
The film was the first full-length project in which Chaplin spoke on screen. He was the author of the script, director, producer and performer of the two leading roles. Dictator Hynkel rules the fictional Tomania and is a frank parody of Adolf Hitler, while the barber finds himself involved in the regime's persecution of Jews. Jack Oakie plays Benzino Napaloni - a satirical portrayal of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, and Paulette Goddard plays Hannah.
A satire filmed before the US entered the war
Chaplin's idea was bold for its time. Hollywood rarely addressed political events in Europe directly, and the film ridicules not only Hitler, but also the mechanics of dictatorship - the cult of the leader, military aggression, anti-Semitism and the depersonalization of the person. According to Turner Classic Movies, the film is one of the few major Hollywood productions of the period that openly deals with European politics.
Chaplin uses his familiar comedic style, but places it in a darker context. One of the memorable moments is the scene in which Hynkel dances with a balloon in the shape of the globe - an image of the obsession with world domination. At the end, the barber is forced to take the dictator's place and addresses the crowd directly. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor," he declares, before the speech turns into a call for humanity, peace and freedom.
Five Oscar nominations
“The Great Dictator“ becomes both a commercial and critical success. The film received five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Chaplin, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actor for Jack Oakie, and Original Music. The film runs for about 127 minutes, and its official release in the United States began on March 7, 1941.
The New York premiere remains a turning point in Chaplin's career. It showed that comedy could be not only a means of entertainment, but also a weapon against political violence and dehumanization. More than eight decades later, “The Great Dictator“ continues to be remembered for the collision between laughter and one of the darkest pages in the history of the 20th century.
Sources: tcm.com, history.com