#66 The Great Dictator (1940)

This apparently is Charlie Chaplin's first full fledged talking picture. He resisted the idea of moving this direction because of his success in silent films. This movie is a ridiculously overt satirization of Hitler. The humor is just a bit too slapstick for me, and the parts that aren't slapstick weren't all that humorous. I will probably never be much of a Charlie Chaplin fan, but I will say one thing that is completely interesting. This movie was made prior to WWII, and released during the war. I was able to see an opinion of Hitler before Hitler was really known for all his terrible things. So from a historical perspective, this was very interesting. It is also so crazy to me that this movie was banned through much of Europe. This movie that I just watched was deemed worthy to be banned. Crazy. England was going to ban it, but they changed their mind when it came out because they were at war by this time. The ending speech was incredible when you know that this was being watched by millions during WWII. It really has more impact on you. If you want a funny movie, I don't know how much you will like this unless you like the slapstick silent movie style. If you want to look inside the mind of a filmmaker during one of the most important of history, this would be a good one.
Here is a link to the full movie on YouTube.

This is the abbreviated version. Watch this link for the full speech. It is worth your time. It's good.

"I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another.... Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate.... We think too much and feel too little... The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people.... You don't hate! Only the unloved hate; the unloved and the unnatural.... Then in the name of democracy, let us use that power. Let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people.... Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness. Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all unite!" -Chaplin

Have you seen this movie? What movie should I watch next?

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