On 15 October 1940, the famous Hollywood star, Charlie Chaplin, released his first film that incorporated sound. The Great Dictator was a scandal in and of itself due to the content of its plot. At the time, the United States was on the precipice of entering World War II, but attempted to remain neutral despite pleas from European nations already entrenched in war. Most of Hollywood did not desire to take the plunge into creating films about the war for fear of being ridiculed as makers of propaganda or losing the European market for future films; however, Chaplin stood out against the crowd and utilized almost $1.5 million of his own money and his own studio to take a stance against the politics surrounding the Nazi party.

In the final scene of the film, after satirizing Hitler and his Nazis through slapstick comic techniques, Chaplin’s other character, the barber, is confused for Hynkel, Chaplin’s portrayal of Hitler, due to their similar outward appearance. The barber acts as Hynkel and makes a moving speech in which he expresses Chaplin’s true feelings toward the Nazi party. He denounces them while promoting democracy and brotherhood among men. This sudden shift in tone, from comical throughout the entire film to seriousness in a split second, was not well received by the audiences of the 1940s. New York Times writer, Bosley Crowther, describes the effect as “bewildering, and what should be the climax becomes flat and seemingly maudlin.” Overall, however, the film as a whole was well received and is considered to be one of the most powerful and courageous films to be made considering the context under which it was created.

The Great Dictator’s contemporary counterpart can be seen in Seth Rogan’s The Interview. Both films satirize a political dictator, but because of the differences in global media geography in the different time periods, The Interview had a much more serious effect in which terrorism quickly became involved. Although The Great Dictator was banned in several countries controlled by the Third Reich, political circumstances never became so dangerous as it did with The Interview. Many believe that Sony Pictures should have taken a page from Charlie Chaplin’s book and stood by its film without retracting it.

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