Starring: Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner, Paulette Goddard, Billy Gilbert, Henry Daniell, Maurice Moscovitch, Charlie Chaplin

Directed by: Charlie Chaplin

Chaplin plays two totally opposite roles in his first "talkie", giving a superb display of his boundless talent for both inspired comedy and powerful drama. One of his masterfully drawn characters is a Jewish barber facing the constant threat of storm troopers and religious persecution. The other is the great dictator, Hynkel, a brilliant lampoon of Adolph Hitler that is awesome proof of Chaplin's pantomime genius.

The movie's famous highlight comes in its final scene, when Chaplin steps out of character and addresses the camera with an eloquent plea for the triumph of reason and humanity over mindless militarism. This speech is so moving that Chaplin was later asked to repeat it on national radio, and the film itself was voted one of the year's Ten Best by The New York Times.

Technical Details

Certification: PG
Duration: 126 mins
Cat. No: S037650(WARNER HOME VIDEO)
Category: Comedy:General

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