The Great Dictator

Released in 1940, Charlie Chaplin's first full sound film is a bold satirical comedy targeting Adolf Hitler and the rise of fascism in Europe. Chaplin plays both the tyrannical dictator Adenoid Hynkel and a humble Jewish barber, drawing sharp parallels between power and humanity. The film concludes with one of cinema's most celebrated speeches, a passionate plea for peace, freedom, and human dignity.

• Chaplin's first true sound film after years of silent movies.
• Chaplin funded the film himself after studios feared controversy.
• Hitler allegedly watched the film twice in private screenings.
• The globe dance scene was filmed using a balloon.
• Chaplin later said making it was his greatest mistake timing-wise.

• Let us fight for a new world, a decent world.
• We think too much and feel too little.
• More than machinery, we need humanity.
• In the name of democracy, let us all unite!
• Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate.