The Great Dictator

Hello readers! This blog is written in response to a thinking inking activity assigned by Dilip Barad, sir English Department MKBU. In this blog I am going to write about 'The Great Dictator' by Charlie Chaplin. This Movie gives us a deep understanding of the 20th century. 

About Movie:

The Great Dictator is a 1940 American anti-war political satire black comedy film written, directed, produced, scored by, and starring British comedian Charlie Chaplin. The Great Dictator was popular with audiences, becoming Chaplin's most commercially successful film. Modern critics have praised it as a historically significant film, one of the greatest comedy films ever made and an important work of satire. It was released during the height of World War II and has become a significant piece of anti-fascist propaganda.

The film takes place in the fictional country of Tomania, which closely resembles Nazi Germany. Chaplin's character, a Jewish barber, is mistaken for the ruthless dictator of Tomania, Adenoid Hynkel, who is modeled after Adolf Hitler. The film satirizes Hitler and his fascist regime and advocates for peace and democracy.

In this film Chaplin portrayed a Jewish barber who is mistaken for a tyrannical dictator. Film shows the constant suffering of Jewish people/minority because of the ego of their dictator to be 'Emperor of the World'. In the film, Chaplin portrays Hynkel as a person too childish to have as much authority as he does. He hates the press, instead filtering his messages through state-sponsored propaganda. The film concludes with an epilogue set after the start of the war in Europe, soon to be called World War II. It shows Barber, mistaken for Hynkel, forced to address a massed rally. The final speech, however, is not given by the Barber character but by Chaplin himself, who pleads for peace, tolerance, and understanding.

The greatest moment of Chaplin’s satire on Hitler and the rise of dictators is the scene in which Hynkel performs a dance with a globe of the world. This scene, which stands with the very best set pieces of Chaplin’s silent films, requires no words to convey its message.

Hynkel performs a graceful, seductive ballet with a balloon globe, a wonderful symbol of his maniacal dream of possessing the world for his pleasure. Yet when he believes he has it within his grasp, the bubble literally bursts. This is Chaplin’s symbolic comment on the futility of the dictator's aspirations and reflects his optimistic belief that dictators will never succeed. Probably the most famous sequence of “The Great Dictator” is the five-minute speech that concludes the film. Here Chaplin drops his comic mask and speaks directly to the world, conveying his view that people must rise up against dictators and unite in peace. The most enduring aspects of the final speech are its aspirational quality and tone and its underlying faith in humanity. Chaplin sketches a hopeful future in broad strokes and leaves the implementation of his vision to others, despite the fact that the more unsavory aspects of human nature may prevent mankind ever reaching his promised utopia. The final speech of “The Great Dictator” remains relevant and valuable in the twenty-first century and likely will remain so as long as conflict corrupts human interaction and despots endure. With the exception of “Gone With the Wind”, no other film of the period was met with such anticipation as “The Great Dictator.” 

The Final Speech:

In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” - not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people, have the power - the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

The Final speech of The Great Dictator by Charlie Chaplin is the sample of the inductive reasoning. The narrator refers to representatives of different racial and ethnic groups, while, blacks, Jews and others. In such a way, the Jewish Barber condemns racism and nationalism which treat people as unequal because of their racial or ethnic origin. He apparently stands for the equality of representatives of all racial and ethnic groups. He also rejects greed and stands for peace. 

The Jewish Barber defines the concept of happiness as the life in the world, where all people are equal, sympathetic, support each other and stand for peace. In such a way, the speech of the Jewish Barber is the typical example of the inductive argument as the narrator refers to part to draw the general picture and shape the final message, which he actually wants to convey to the audience. In his speech he relies on his personal experience, expectations and views, which are apparently subjective and do not necessarily mirror the objective reality. 

As both the writer and actor of this speech, Chaplin uses multiple textbook examples of rhetorical technique. Aside from clear and persuasive Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, Chaplin uses techniques such as repetition, addressing individual groups, juxtaposition, and use of similes, metaphors, and analogies. Combining these devices with raw emotion, flawless delivery, and continuously increasing intensity, Chaplin delivers a highly relevant and powerful performance, hitting close to the homes of those affected by the early years of the Second World War. While watching the speech, it becomes clear that Chaplin is not only simply reading lines from his own script, but sending a message to the entire world that he feels truly passionate towards. The final speech from the film The Great Dictator will forever be considered one of the finest, most uplifting speeches of all time.

At the end we can say that both the films of Charlie Chaplin represent a very deep history of the 20th century. It presents the life of 20th century people, class differences and how machines became the enemies for the poor people. 

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