The Great Dictator

One of the handful of movies Charlie Chaplin made that weren't silent, and his response to the rise of fascism in Europe during the 1930s, the plot is split between two characters, both played by Chaplin. One is Hynkel, the hateful, would-be world conquering dictator of Tomania, and the other is a Jewish barber who was injured in a plane crash in World War 1, and has spent the intervening years in the hospital, with no sense of how much time has passed.

I kept expecting that Hynkel and the barber's similarities would be remarked upon by others, or factor in as a plot point. That there'd be a point when the stormtroopers are hassling the residents of the ghetto, and the barber would walk past, demand they stop, and they'd all snap to salute. There is a dual case of mistaken identity at the very end, but that's the only instance of it. The two characters never actually cross paths, though there are certainly times you expect it. Especially when the pilot friend of the barber's (played by Reginald Gardiner) wants one of them to sneak a bomb into the palace to assassinate Hynkel. 

I have to think the notion occurred to Chaplin, but I guess he didn't want to reduce the movie to a slapstick farce. Although the movie does still have elements of that in it. When the barber is assaulted by two stormtroopers and his neighbor Hannah (Paulette Goddard) tries to come to his aid with a frying pan, there's a fair amount of sped-up action and Chaplin stumbling and tumbling about. Most of the interaction between Hynkel and Napaloni, the dictator of Bacteria is meant to mock them. Hynkel's attempts to make Napaloni feel inferior to gain the upper hand in their negotiations, culminating in the barber chair sequence. Each of them getting food from the buffet, then throwing it away when they argue, then starting over.

The way the movie is done, moving back and forth between Hynkel and the barber, it felt aimless for a long stretch. Maybe I was just tired, but I kept waiting for something to really happen. I assume that was probably the point. Even when Hynkel is pretending to be nice to Jews, to secure a loan from the only bank left that would consider it (but is owned by a Jewish man), he makes it clear it's not going to last. So by switching who it follows, the film lets us see how the policy changes impact the neighborhood. How people had just started to let the guards down, the barber and Hannah going on a date, when the rug is pulled out from under them again. As long as a guy like Hynkel is in charge, you're always just waiting for the moment he decides to take what he wants.

I wouldn't say it's an enjoyable movie to watch, but it was worth seeing at least once.