Charlie Chaplin final speech in The Great Dictator

[zeemike]

A speech from the past still relevant today...sadly.

[Diclotican]

1. zeemike

zeemike

It was a great speach back then - but even today, more than 80 years in the past have some value to it - and it was deadly right back in 1939/1940 when the movie was made... And it is rumored when Hitler saw the movie - he was not to furious about how Chaplin had made Hitler in the movie - even if the name was another - it is no doubt it was Hitler who was the target...

And Hitler saw the movie a few times until 1943, when he more or less stooped looking at movies even german ones - and forbid the movie all together already in 1940 - as he would not give germans any ideas.... And the movie was illegal for ironing in germany all the way up to the 1990s - even if overlooked for decades after the war..

Diocletian

[zeemike]

2. Thanks for the background information.

I knew of the movie but that is about it...but youtube has become a great resource for things I have heard of but never seen before.

[Diclotican]

4. zeemike

zeemike

Your welcome - The Great Dictator was also a movie Chaplin had to make on his own - paid for by his own pockets as he had fallen out with the great film makers over something.... And he ended up in switzerland after WW2 - under the "red scar" - when he was accused of beeing a communist - by his adopted country - something that made it imposible for him doing his work as a actor..

He had some socialistic sides to how he was thinking - but I doubt he was any communist for that matter - but it mattered a great for the ones who mattered - and after some years where he was more or less figthing all over the place - he left the country he had adopted as his own - and traveled back to UK, where he lived some years untill he ended up in Switzerland, where he lived for the rest of his natural life...


And youtube is a great resource for things you might not have heard about - but never seen before - I often end up in some interesting corners of youtube myself - and is learning a lot in the prosess..

Diclotican

[zeemike]

5. I have already learned a lot just by posting this.

I was vaguely aware of a lot of that before but never really knew any of it.

And you are right about you tube being a great resource...I have found all sorts of interesting things there...it makes TV obsolete IMO

[appalachiablue]

3. I always heard of the film & finally watched it online. Highly recommend for the humor, reality &

pathos. I've read that Chaplin was incorrectly thought to be Jewish and listed on the Nazi roster of Jewish entertainers. Along with his political views this may have influenced his making the film. Having experienced Victorian period workhouses, poverty and a broken music hall family as a boy Chaplin knew well about hard times. His talent was extraordinary including composing music for many of his films like the famous song "Smile" from the Depression era classic, "Modern Times" (1936). "Eternally" is another beautiful theme based on his later film, "Limelight" (1952). Singer Raul Malo's rendition is exceptional.

[zeemike]

6. Again, learning a lot.

I knew he came from poverty and the work house but did not know about his musical talent...and did not know he wrote Smile.
History can be a wonderful thing.