Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideToronto Int'l Film FestivalSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Back
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro
Charles Chaplin and Paulette Goddard in The Great Dictator (1940)

FAQ

The Great Dictator

FAQ



    No one has answered this question yet.



    Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, and starred in The Great Dictator.



    Tomainia. It's a play on "ptomaine", a deadly food-poisoning.



    Adenoid Hynkel of Tomania represents Adolf Hitler of Germany, Benzino Napoloni of Bacteria represents Benito Mussolini of Italy, and Garbitsch is Joseph Goebbels. Osterlich is Austria. Some have suggested Field Marshal Herring is Heinrich Himmler; others think Herring was suggested by Hermann Göring, the chief of Hitler's Air Force, because "Göring" rhymes with "herring."



    No. It's pseudo-German gibberish with a few words tossed in to make it sound like German. For example, he refers to the German Navy as "der größte Navy in der Welt" and describes the Arian maiden as "die Delicatessen mit der schön (pretty face) und der Holstein (gestures a big bosom)...... und nach der Tsuden (the Jews) unbelievte Sauerkraut mit der Juden " while the commentator says: "His excellency has just referred to the Jewish people". The comedy is not about the exact contents of the speech, but to mock Hitler's style. On one level, it succeeded as a silly string of nonsense but, on another level, it drives home the idea that, while Hitler's speeches may have sounded good, they were, in fact, mostly nonsensical rants.



    While The Great Dictator is an obvious spoof on Adolf Hitler, it was released in 1940, before the world knew about the Holocaust, and before most of it had happened, so it was not meant as a spoof on the Holocaust. Some viewers say that this movie is a testament to Chaplin's genius, but Chaplin himself has been quoted as saying that, had he known about the horrors to come, he would never have made this film.



    The story is that Goebbels had a copy of The Great Dictator seized from one of the German-occupied countries and then brought to Hitler. Hitler screened the film alone, except for his personal projectionist. When it was over, it's said that he demanded to see it again. Beyond that, his true reaction is not known. The projectionist later claimed that the only time Hitler laughed at the movie was the "barber chair scene" where Hynkel and Napaloni were attemping to tower over each other by elevating the barber shop chairs they were seated in. Chaplin wrote: "I'd give anything to know what he thought of it."



    By turning the prop airplane upside-down with the actors strapped in, and by turning the camera upside-down as well, then just pouring the water on the studio floor, making it appear to go upwards.



    It is a misquote of the Latin "aut Caesar aut nihil", meaning "either Caesar or nothing", meaning that the only acceptable possibility is to be emperor, indicating that Hynkel will not be satisfied until he rules the entire world.

Alexa top questions

Powered by Alexa
  • How long is The Great Dictator?
    2 hours and 5 minutes
  • When was The Great Dictator released?
    March 7, 1941
  • What is the IMDb rating of The Great Dictator?
    8.4 out of 10
  • Who stars in The Great Dictator?
    Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, and Jack Oakie
  • Who wrote The Great Dictator?
    Charles Chaplin
  • Who directed The Great Dictator?
    Charles Chaplin
  • Who was the composer for The Great Dictator?
    Charles Chaplin and Meredith Willson
  • Who was the producer of The Great Dictator?
    Charles Chaplin
  • Who was the cinematographer for The Great Dictator?
    Roland Totheroh and Karl Struss
  • Who was the editor of The Great Dictator?
    Harold Rice and Willard Nico
  • Who are the characters in The Great Dictator?
    A Jewish Barber, Adenoid Hynkel, Schultz, Garbitsch, and Bacterian Ambassador
  • What is the plot of The Great Dictator?
    Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
  • What was the budget for The Great Dictator?
    $2 million
  • How much did The Great Dictator earn at the worldwide box office?
    $972,000
  • What is The Great Dictator rated?
    TV-PG
  • What genre is The Great Dictator?
    Comedy, Comedy Drama, Drama, and War

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More from this title

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb App
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.