http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005 by the authors Fri, 11 Mar 2005 01:11:08 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/003940.php#comment-127306 "Lesser men have been elected president based on speeches that didn't sound this good" Best line of all! 127306@blogcritics.org Fri, 11 Mar 2005 01:11:08 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/003940.php#comment-126015 Plus, he began making the movie as early as 1937, so even more so to that point. I certainly was not criticizing him for a failure of knowledge. Who could have even believed such things were possible? 126015@blogcritics.org Mon, 7 Mar 2005 14:35:53 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/003940.php#comment-126010 If I've remembered my WW2 history correctly, most of the worst Nazi atrocities hadn't even happened by 1940, so Chaplin deserves some slack for underestimating the horrors. 126010@blogcritics.org Mon, 7 Mar 2005 14:28:39 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/003940.php#comment-125963 Chaplin himself later said that had he known the atrocities of the Nazis, he wouldn't have made the Great Dictator. So he wasn't actually aware how far the Nazis went in their evils. But considering the threats Chaplin received from the rightist groups during the making of the film, we could but admire his courage and determination. 125963@blogcritics.org Mon, 7 Mar 2005 11:23:42 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/003940.php#comment-125604 I have never seen this in its entirety, I will have to pick it up, thanks for the great review. 125604@blogcritics.org Sat, 5 Mar 2005 14:21:26 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/003940.php#comment-125568 excellent al. This is one of my favourtie chaplin flicks, just held off the top by Modern Times, and i have a particularly soft spot for A King In New York. Mind you, he did get a lot darker in the lesser-spotted Monsieur Verdoux. Perhaps the biggest failing in the film is that it's twenty minutes too long. I wouldn't cut a minute from that speech, though. 125568@blogcritics.org Sat, 5 Mar 2005 13:13:11 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/003940.php#comment-125533 It's most interesting to compare "The Great Dictator" to the Three Stooges' "You Nazty Spy" and "I'll Never Heil Again". "You Nazty Spy" actually came out before "Great Dictator", and for my money is the far more effective satire. The Stooges' slapstick seems to work far better than Chaplin's morality play, even though Chaplin directly addressed the vehement anti-semitism issue. Moe's characterization of "Hailstone" is an extension of his usual swaggering, dumb leader, however, there's a palpable undertone of the fear and loathing the Stooges felt for the Nazis, especially given their heritage. Moe's Hitler characterization would be resurrected later in "They Stooge To Conga" and "Back From The Front", although merely as a disguise to fool the villains of the shorts. Interestingly, Moe never spoke the name Hitler in the shorts, using only Schicklgruber (the family name he was almost known by due to the poor record keeping in the family and the province). In one memorable gag, with Vernon Dent and the usual Stooges supporting cast "Heil"-ing away, Moe blandly responds, "Heil Myself". 125533@blogcritics.org Sat, 5 Mar 2005 11:43:02 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/003940.php#comment-125492 Damn, didn't know you had it in you. Completely solid piece of writing. (And no snide asides in there either.) Loved it. Thank you. I didn't realize the film was made in 1940. I thought it was post-WWII. 125492@blogcritics.org Sat, 5 Mar 2005 03:51:27 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/003940.php#comment-125491 Thanks, pal. 125491@blogcritics.org Sat, 5 Mar 2005 03:33:54 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/05/003940.php#comment-125486 Very interesting take on this classic, AB. Enjoyed reading it. 125486@blogcritics.org Sat, 5 Mar 2005 02:57:25 EST