The Great Dictator

"Once again - the whole world laughs!"

1940 2h 5m EN

🙌

8.3

BANGER

★8.3TMDB · 3,826

ComedyWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.

“Once again - the whole world laughs!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Charlie Chaplin
Adenoid Hynkel, Dictator of Tomania / A Jewish Barber
Paulette Goddard
Hannah
Jack Oakie
Benzino Napaloni, Dictator of Bacteria
Reginald Gardiner
Commander Schultz
Henry Daniell
Garbitsch
Billy Gilbert
Field Marshal Herring
Grace Hayle
Madame Napaloni
Carter DeHaven
Spook

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Charlie Chaplin
Writers: Charlie Chaplin
Languages: English, Esperanto
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

86 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Esperanto.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Charlie Chaplin, shot by Karl Struss. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Charlie Chaplin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Willard Nico shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard and Jack Oakie carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Charlie Chaplin directs. Karl Struss behind the camera. Charlie Chaplin scores. Willard Nico cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Esperanto.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 5.5× over at the box office.
386 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Esperanto.
5Directed by Charlie Chaplin, shot by Karl Struss. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Charlie Chaplin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Willard Nico shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard and Jack Oakie carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Once again - the whole world laughs!".
10IMDB entry: tt0032553 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 20 themes, including "amnesia", "nazi", "hairdresser", "propaganda".
12Released under 22 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Karl Struss
Original score: Charlie Chaplin
Editing: Willard Nico
Makeup / hair: Ed Voight
Sound: Percy Townsend
Runtime: 125 min · 2h 5m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,000,000
Box office: $11,000,000
Return: 550% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Great Dictator (1940)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Charlie Chaplin

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Community reviews

What people are saying

wizzardss2021-02-18
★ 8/10
In September 1939, six days after Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, Charlie Chaplin began filming his next feature. Drawing on the public perception of the similarities between himself and Adolf Hitler - not just his toothbrush moustache but also their upbringings - Chaplin sought to directly parody and attack the German führer and fascism. In The Great Dictator, Adenoid Hynkel (Chaplin) rules Tomania and sets about his conquest of the world. In doing so, he persecutes Jewish people, including a former veteran of World War I who is now a barber (also Chaplin). Unsurprisingly, the film was a hit on release, resonating well with the anti-Nazi sentiment in both American and British public. Chaplin understood that delivering his political message was so important that he forewent his usual desire for a silent film in order to get his message across. Sound is used to great effect in The Great Dictator. By studying many of Hitler's speeches, Chaplin was able to create a ludicrous, yet believable, gibberish parody of the Nazi leader's oratory style. Of course, the physical comedy remains, typically reserved for the barber (who may or may not be Chaplin's silent hero, The Tramp). This combination of physical comedy and irreverent one liners together makes the film feel like a very early Carry On. While The Great Dictator remains arguably Chaplin's best "talkie", it often feels like it is the end of Chaplin's era of classical pantomime. People being hit on the head with a saucepan comes across as a cheap laugh and it is often the verbal jokes that are the cleverest. Overall the comedy has not aged well. But The Great Dictator was never designed for longevity. It was perfect propaganda for the Allies, released at a perfect point in the War. For that reason, The Great Dictator can only be judged in the context of its release.
userloser2026-05-20
★ 10/10
Forever great, forever relevant as dictators and dictator-wannabes do their best to deprive the humans of their humanity.