Charles Chaplin and Adolf Hitler were born within a week of each other, had similar height and weight and overall appearance and both struggled in poverty before reaching great success. (In fact, Chaplin even regarded Hitler as one of the greatest actors he had ever seen.) Their ultimate legacies, however, could not be further apart. One man continues to bring joy to millions; the other brought death to an even larger number. The Great Dictator does not aspire to explain that disparity, but his film does succeed in reducing Hitler’s racism and nationalism to their inherent absurdities. Chaplin plays both a Jewish barber and Adenoid Hynkel, the dictator of Tomania. He never won a Best Actor Oscar, but his first all-sound film might contain his greatest performance. The most memorable moment occurs with the barber’s climactic radio address, calling for humanity on the eve of the Second World War. It is jarring to watch the star of so many silent comedies (playing a character of few words) speak with such eloquence, passion, and prolonged seriousness.
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