The Great Dictator (1940)
The Great Dictator is a 1940 comedy movie directed by Charlie Chaplin, with a running time of 2h 5m. It stars Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard and Jack Oakie.
Two men share a face in Chaplin's boldest comedy: Adenoid Hynkel, the strutting dictator of Tomainia with dreams of ruling the world, and a humble Jewish barber from the ghetto who has no idea he is anyone's double. Chaplin plays both, skewering the tyrant with pratfalls and gibberish speeches while the barber simply tries to survive the regime's cruelty. Made while much of the world still hesitated to name the threat aloud, it is broad, brave, and pointed, comedy aimed squarely at fascism at the exact moment it needed aiming.
Quick answers
What is The Great Dictator about?
Two men share a face in Chaplin's boldest comedy: Adenoid Hynkel, the strutting dictator of Tomainia with dreams of ruling the world, and a humble Jewish barber from the ghetto who has no idea he is anyone's double. Chaplin plays both, skewering the tyrant with pratfalls and gibberish speeches while the barber simply tries to survive the regime's cruelty. Made while much of the world still hesitated to name the threat aloud, it is broad, brave, and pointed, comedy aimed squarely at fascism at the exact moment it needed aiming.
When was The Great Dictator released?
The Great Dictator was released on 15 October 1940.
How long is The Great Dictator?
The Great Dictator runs 2h 5m.
Who made The Great Dictator?
The Great Dictator was directed by Charlie Chaplin.
Where can I watch The Great Dictator?
The Great Dictator is available on Criterion Channel, HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, YouTube TV and fuboTV.
Where to watch The Great Dictator
Stream: Criterion Channel, HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, fuboTV
Watch free with ads: Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads, Mometu, Shout! Factory TV, YouTube Free
Cast
- Charlie Chaplin as Adenoid Hynkel, Dictator of Tomania / A Jewish Barber
- Paulette Goddard as Hannah
- Jack Oakie as Benzino Napaloni, Dictator of Bacteria
- Reginald Gardiner as Commander Schultz
- Henry Daniell as Garbitsch
- Billy Gilbert as Field Marshal Herring
- Grace Hayle as Madame Napaloni
- Carter DeHaven as Spook
- Maurice Moscovitch as Mr. Jaeckel
- Emma Dunn as Mrs. Jaeckel
- Bernard Gorcey as Mr. Mann
- Paul Weigel as Mr. Agar
Similar movies
Explore The Great Dictator guides
A few thoughts on The Great Dictator
Charlie Chaplin turns satire into a weapon, mocking a tyrant while standing with the persecuted. For fascism laughed at in book form, Der Nazi & der Friseur runs a dark German satire about identity and complicity. For sketch-comedy history with real teeth, History of the World: Part II keeps the tradition of taking aim at power with a straight face and a punchline.
Comedies that mock tyrants and the powerful
The Great Dictator lets Chaplin ridicule a fascist strongman with gibberish speeches and pratfalls. These share its nerve for turning tyrants and overbearing bosses into figures of fun, using dark satire, sketch comedy and slapstick to cut powerful people down to size without ever letting them off the hook.
Fiction that confronts fascism and its cruelty
Chaplin made The Great Dictator while the Nazi threat was still hard to name aloud. These German-language novels look the same era in the eye, tracing tyranny, occupation and the everyday antisemitism that fed it, matching the film's anger even when they trade its comedy for unease and reckoning.
Big broad comedies with a soft heart under the gags
Under its jokes, The Great Dictator carries a plea for kindness and a barber who just wants to survive. These broad, family-facing comedies pair big visual gags with the same soft center, chasing laughs while quietly caring about the little characters caught up in something much bigger than themselves.