Rating: 
Summary: Chaplin was not just a genius; he was a great human being
Review: My God, what courage Chaplin had in making this! He did what so desperately needed to be done, and what no one else was willing to do: show how absurd, hateful, and inhuman the dictatorships of Mussolini and especially Hitler really were. Almost everyone was against him in making this, either because they were afraid of the effect it would have on the German market for Hollywood films, or because they were afraid that the German Jews would receive even worse treatment at the hands of the Nazi's because of this picture. My definition of a great, heroic human being is one that sees what needs to be done, and despite great opposition does it anyway; I don't think anyone could argue with me when I say Chaplin was a hero, according to this definition. The speech at the end of the film is not artistically necessary or even connected with the rest of the film, but Chaplin had to have his say, and what a say it is! This speech appeals to the very best in us, and while it leaves the execution of its divine vision ambiguous, we nevertheless have a goal to work towards, and I found myself looking at the problems around me in a different way after I saw it for the first time.
Chaplin achieves his principal goals as outlined above wonderfully, but unfortunately, the material surrounding this is uneven in execution and, for me, detracts from the potent message of the film. There are moments of briliance which could only have come from Chaplin, such as the often mentioned dance of lust for world domination that Hynkel has with an inflated globe, the incomparably sad moment when the Barber watches his shop and home go up in flames, and many others, but there are also jarring parts. Although many people seem to like Jack Oakie's portrayal of Mussolini, going so far as to say it steals the show, I find it to be too loud and overbearing for my taste (I understand that it is supposed to show how ridiculously pompous Mussolini was, but Oakie's performance is just beyond believable for me, damaging the effect of the satire). Also Paulette Goddard, wonderful as she was in Modern Times, just doesn't work well with the dialogue here, with an obvious New York accent that jars with Hannah's German Jewish background. Even Chaplin's technique, well nigh infallible in the 1920's and 1930's, has embarassing lapses, for example the WWI airplane sequence (funny, but irrelevant to the plot and embarassingly amateurish looking), the scene where the Barber first meets Hannah (hitting people on the head with a frying pan is funny here, but jarringly Keystone-ish, not fitting at all well with Chaplin's wonderful satire elsewhere), the scene with the Mussolini character getting off the train (funny at first, but went on so long that the laughs dried up before the end), and elsewhere.
In short, Chaplin has an important message to deliver, and does so powerfully, but if some of the rough edges could have been smoothed out, this film could have had a much greater impact for me, easily a contender for Chaplin's greatest film, hence one of the greatest films of all time. Much as I would like to give The Great Dictator five stars, I can in honesty only give it four, but that should not discourage you from buying this DVD (incidentally including a superb TCM documentary on the film and on the eerie parallels between Chaplin, and Hitler, his opposite), and watching a historically important film with moments of incomparable brilliance.
Rating:
Summary: Chaplin Talks!
Review: "The Great Dictator" (1940) is an effective, if uneven, satire that displays Charlie Chaplin's mastery of pantomime and social commentary. This was his first talking picture and features his inspired dual role as Hynkel and the Jewish Barber. However, with the exception of Hynkel's globe dance and the barber's musical shaving technique, "The Great Dictator" does not utilize sound and silence nearly as well as Chaplin's 1936 masterpiece, "Modern Times." The barber's final speech remains stirring (if obviously out of character), but some dramatic elements seem awkward and do not blend well with the film's satirical fabric. In terms of story structure, Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) actually works better -- and is more assured in its overall pacing. Though flawed, "The Great Dictator" remains a memorable film with Chaplin in superb form.
Rating:
Summary: Chaplin Talks!
Review: "The Great Dictator" is an effective, if uneven, satire that displays Charlie Chaplin's mastery of pantomime and social commentary. This was his first talking picture and features his inspired dual role as Hynkel and the Jewish Barber. However, with the exception of Hynkel's globe dance and the barber's musical shaving technique, "The Great Dictator" doesn't utilize sound and silence nearly as well as Chaplin's masterpiece, "Modern Times." The barber's final speech remains stirring (if obviously out of character), but some dramatic elements seem awkward and don't blend well with the film's satiric fabric. In terms of story structure, Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux" works better -- and is more assured in terms of pacing and the utilization of sound. Regardless of its occasional flaws, "The Great Dictator" remains a memorable film with Chaplin in superb form.
Rating: 
Summary: Look up Hanna
Review: "The soul of man has been given wings"
This movie is hyped up in some sort of frenzy; someone calls it a classic or likes the thought that someone is mocked and the next person repeats it until everyone gives this less than mediocre film a positive spin before viewing it.
This is Chaplin way past his prime still tying to be a keystone cop and using mundane slapstick humor years after the film industry became more sophisticated. From the first Scene you ask "This is a five star movie?" and it goes down hill from there. The sets are cardboard and the camera is still pretty much still.
If you kike film that mock the era a much better production was done by Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in "To Be or Not to Be" (1942).
The basic story is of a dictator and a barber that is not all there getting mixed identities. Chaplin gets to play both parts. The only redeeming value of the movie is the acting of Henry Daniell who played Garbitsch. Then again he is a veteran actor and can be seen in over 60 films including "Sherlock Holmes and the Woman in Green" as Prof. Moriarty.
All the people are over exaggerated stereotypes (maybe on purpose) and this distracts from the story like having a musical with songs not related to the movie.
If you can make it to the end of the film you get a long tedious speech in the style of Ayn Rand. The sun shines and the wind blows.
Rating:
Summary: Chaplin Talks!
Review: "The Great Dictator" is an effective, if uneven, satire that displays Charlie Chaplin's mastery of pantomime and social commentary. This was his first talking picture and features his inspired dual role as Hynkel and the Jewish Barber. However, with the exception of Hynkel's globe dance and the barber's musical shaving technique, "The Great Dictator" doesn't utilize sound and silence nearly as well as Chaplin's masterpiece, "Modern Times." The barber's final speech remains stirring (if obviously out of character), but some dramatic elements seem awkward and don't blend well with the film's satiric fabric. In terms of story structure, Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux" works better -- and is more assured in terms of pacing and the utilization of sound. Regardless of its occasional flaws, "The Great Dictator" remains a memorable film with Chaplin in superb form.
Rating: 
Summary: The Kingdom of God
Review: A daring commentary, prophecy, and spoof of Adolph Hitler made before the full horrors of the Nazi regime were known. Chaplin's concluding speech regarding humanity might be equalled only by Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. In the speech, Chaplin refers to the scriptural passage of St. Luke Chapter 17: ...behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. He makes but a subtle mention of this, but it is the foundation of the speech...and it is the foundation of Chaplin and his work: that we must RESPECT not only ourselves but ALL of humanity. For within us ALL is the Kingdom of God!
Rating:
Summary: Chaplin at His Best
Review: After avoiding talking films for almost a decade, legendary director, writer, producer, and actor Charlie Chaplin decided to finally take the plunge with this film. He didn't let anybody down. "The Great Dictator" is far and away Chaplin's best film. He gets to be the little tramp once again, now in the form of a kind Jewish barber, and make us laugh. However, as Adenoid Hynkel, the barbaric, Hitlerish dictator of Tomania, Chaplin provides us with amazing social commentary on a world that is rapidly forgeting love and kindness. That Chaplin can be so dramatic and so funny at the same time, while still being tasteful, is one of the things that make him such a genius. Of coarse, Chaplin is not the only person in the film. His real life wife, Paulette Goddard, is quite commendable as Hannah, and Jack Oakie is a riot as Benzini Nappoloni, the dictator of Bacteria. The movie ends with the Jewish barber making a speach on behalf of tolerence and understanding in a world gone mad. It's a moving and dramatic ending to one of the greatest movies ever made.
Rating:
Summary: Chaplin at His Best
Review: After avoiding talking films for almost a decade, legendary director, writer, producer, and actor Charlie Chaplin decided to finally take the plunge with this film. He didn't let anybody down. "The Great Dictator" is far and away Chaplin's best film. He gets to be the little tramp once again, now in the form of a kind Jewish barber, and make us laugh. However, as Adenoid Hynkel, the barbaric, Hitlerish dictator of Tomania, Chaplin provides us with amazing social commentary on a world that is rapidly forgeting love and kindness. That Chaplin can be so dramatic and so funny at the same time, while still being tasteful, is one of the things that make him such a genius. Of coarse, Chaplin is not the only person in the film. His real life wife, Paulette Goddard, is quite commendable as Hannah, and Jack Oakie is a riot as Benzini Nappoloni, the dictator of Bacteria. The movie ends with the Jewish barber making a speach on behalf of tolerence and understanding in a world gone mad. It's a moving and dramatic ending to one of the greatest movies ever made.
Rating:
Summary: Stongly Agree With Favorable Reviews
Review: After just watching this picture I feel that this would have to be 5 STARS+. This movie was ahead of it's time in humor. I can't say that I am a huge fan of Charlie (only seen 3 films and some keystone shorts at this time) but he is a great comedian and a fine actor. Chaplin plays a duel role as The Great Dictator Adenoild Hynkel aka. Adolf Hitler and, a poor Jewish tramp that is in love with a girl called Hannah. The film has to keep from saying Hitler, Nazi, Mussolini, Italy, Germany, and other words that have to do with Axis because it was made a year and a half before the U.S.A. got involved in World War II. This is a WORLD of fun. BUY THIS DVD!!!! NOW
Rating:
Summary: A flawed classic receives a good treatment on DVD.
Review: After my gross disappointment at the edition of The Gold Rush that's part of this series, I'm happy to discover that the other releases seem to be much better.The Great Dictator has never been one of my favourite Chaplin films, probably because it's so dependent on its own specific timeframe. Many details in this film do hinder its effect: Chaplin's very theatrical dialogue delivery, complete with a British accent which jars mightily with the German and Jewish characters he's playing, especially when mixed with the hilarious "faux German" he employs for the role of Adenoid Hynkel; the corny music, which verges on the melodramatic and sounds syrupy especially during dramatic climaxes; the wandering central narrative; and the final speech, where overly florid writing and delivery make the central message sound less heartfelt than it could have been. But perhaps director Sydney Lumet says it best: "[The final speech] was inartistic; I don't care. Nothing has to be perfect." And considering that Chaplin funded the film himself at enormous cost (559 days of production and post-production!) and took direct aim at Adolf Hitler, the film was still a massive achievement, a testament to the fearlessness of art and artists. And proof positive that such fearlessness is often rewarded, given the film's tremendous box-office success. Let that be a lesson to Hollywood. The DVD extras are very good. The documentary "The Tramp and the Dictator", co-produced by both the BBC and Spiegel TV, sheds light on many aspects of the film's production and contextualizes Chaplin's life and filmmaking with the career of Adolf Hitler clearly and engagingly. It also features excellent narration by Kenneth Branagh. The colour footage shot by Sydney Chaplin is just priceless -- it's eye-opening to see the staging of the film in colour form, using different angles. There's also a scene that was cut from the earlier Chaplin short "Sunnyside" which may have informed the "Hungarian Dance No. 5" sequence in The Great Dictator.
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