The Great Dictator

A Chaplin masterpiece. Made in 1938, when in some quarters Hitler was not yet recognised as the embodiment of evil. Chaplin takes aim firmly at the rising Fuhrer and mocks him mercilessly, taking full advantage of the similarities in appearance with his own moustachioed little clown. This was to be the last outing for Chaplin as a small man with a moustache. It is clear that Chaplin wanted to use this film to make a point. If the preceding comedy was too subtle to get this point across, then it could not be missed in the three minute oration that he delivers at the end of the film. He has often been criticized for this, but I'm happy to cut him some slack. We get two hours of some of the best comedy the world has ever seen, in exchange for sitting through three minutes of Chaplin holding forth on values that most of us would hold dear in any case. A pretty good deal.