The Great Dictator: Film Against Fascism

Introduction

The year is 1940, the allies are in the midst of defending Europe from the acts of power, while America sits on the sidelines unsure if the fascist threat is worth fighting. Enter British filmmaker Charlie Chaplin, who has experienced the threat in Europe, has fled to America to work on his next film, ‘The Great Dictator’.

The purpose of the film is to sway Americans away from fascist ideology and garner sympathy for the Jewish victims of the Nazi party. Ultimately, the goal being to convince the United States that fascism is worth fighting against. ‘The Great Dictator’ has maintained a reputation as a classic jab at the fascist states of Germany and Italy. It is a film about dictatorship and is one of the only films which made fun of the Nazis and Adolf Hitler. Charlie Chaplin played both the role of a ruthless dictator and a naive Jewish barber. It was also the first of Charlie’s films which was a full-talkie and his most commercially successful film.

Ideology in its simplest term means a set of beliefs of an individual, a group of people or a society. It is conveyed in different ways through different mediums. It can be seen everywhere through paintings, photography, politics, and literature. As one of the most important films, The Great Dictator strongly portrays the life and the mindset of the people living in the war effect and of dictating society. It took a stand against fascism and also urged the people to stand up against dictators and fight for liberty.

In the first scene, Charlie’s ideologies about machines and war can be seen. The grandeur and power of Adenoid Hynkel is portrayed as nothing but a vain and empty pretension. Certain situations were created where dictatorship was portrayed with the people being suppressed and harassed and the dictator controlling their resources.

Hitler is portrayed as a foolish person who depended on his general about how to rule. Humour is used in this film to make people understand that ideologies like dictatorship, discrimination, and hatred will not last a long time. Peace, liberalism, and acceptance are the ideologies that will eventually find their way. Apart from the similarity in mustache, the costumes Adenoid Hynkel wore like the brown color suit with the long coat are also similar to Hitler’s costume.

In The Great Dictator, class is represented as equal. Charlie Chaplin mocks the Nazis, saying that Jewish people, along with all people, class, and race are equal.

“I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor

That's not my business

I don't want to rule or conquer anyone

I should like to help everyone if possible

Jew, Gentile, Black Man, White

We all want to help one another, human beings are like that

We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery

We don't want to hate and despise one another”

Conclusion

More recently, films are becoming more accepting of using satire and other ways of storytelling to tell this story but The Great Dictator is still considered the most important in ideological importance. As one of the most important films, The Great Dictator strongly portrays the life and mindset of the people living in the war effect and of discharging society. It took a stand against fascism and also urged the people to stand up against dis Tatar’s and fight for liberty.