Film Fest: Classic Film: The Great Dictator

Satire | 1940 | 125 min | USA | English

The Great Dictator was Charlie Chaplin’s first talkie—a bold, satirical attack on Hitler and fascism, years before the United States entered World War II. Chaplin used humor and his uncanny resemblance to Hitler to expose the tyranny and repression. Chaplin produced the film himself after studios warned that it would never be shown in the UK or the US; it was later nominated for five Academy Awards. This work of resistance is a powerful plea for democracy and humanity and remains highly relevant today.