The Tramp and the Dictator

Kenneth Branagh narrates "The Tramp and the Dictator," a 2002 documentary put together by film historian Kevin Brownlow and Michael Kroft about the making of Charlie Chaplin's film "The Great Dictator." For anyone who hasn't seen it, it's an incredible 1940 film about the dictator of Tomania, Adenoid Hynkel and the Jewish barber who bears a strong resemblance to him.

This documentary at first focuses on the similarities between Hitler and Chaplin as far as their backgrounds, love of the arts, and poverty and how each man overcame these adversities, one to become perhaps the greatest artist the world has ever known, and the other the most evil dictator.

"The Tramp and the Dictator" then goes into Chaplin's decision to make the film, the shove-it-under-the-rug attitude of Hollywood at that time, and shows color footage of the movie (it was released in black and white) as it was being filmed, and some footage of Chaplin directing.

There are reminiscences by Chaplin's son Sydney, screenwriter Walter Bernstein, writer Budd Schulberg, former SS officer Reinhard Spitzy, and others.

"The Great Dictator" was a controversial film for its time. It stands today as a strong political statement by Chaplin and a brilliant film for its mixture of parody and drama. He was advised not to make it. His answer? "What can he do? He can't possibly be any worse than he already is."

Tramp and the Dictator, The (2002)

**** (out of 4)

Charles Chaplin and Adolf Hitler were born days apart from one another but the two would collide in 1940 when the legendary director decided to make a spoof in The Great Dictator. The wonderful documentary digs into the making of that film and the impact it had on Chaplin for the rest of his career. It seems that every controversial movie ever made features different opinions on what actually happens as I've read that this film helped put a nail in Chaplin's career but this film points out that the movie did very well at the box office and much better than the director's previous films. Whatever the truth might be this is a very interesting documentary that features some great stories about the making of the film and Chaplin's opinions on making the movie had he actually known what Hitler was doing to millions of people. There's also some great stuff about Hitler apparently watching the film twice. One can only imagine seeing Hitler in a dark theater laughing at the spoof. Opinions seem to be mixed about the actual film but I think it's another great one from a director who made countless great movies. This documentary is a nice tribute to the movie and also features some behind the scenes footage, in color, showing Chaplin at work.

This film was spurred on by Charlie Chaplin's film "The Great Dictator"--a film in which he made fun of but also warned the world of the evil beast, Adolph Hitler. And, not surprisingly, it is included on the DVD for "The Great Dictator".

It begins by discussing similarities between the two men--such as being born the same month of the same year. And, how the two were polar opposites--Hitler was never accused of being the funniest man on the planet. However, much of the film was not about their similarities and differences but was more of a 'making of' featurette. It discussed such things as the obsessive nature of Chaplin and his directorial style as well as the reaction to the film when it was released.

My reason for watching this, more than any, was that it was made by Kenneth Brownlow--one of the foremost experts on silent comedy and who had created the very best documentaries on Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd. Secondly, I love Chaplin's full-length films--though I should admit that "The Great Dictator" is among my least favorite of these films. Folks who adore this film would probably get a bit more out of the documentary. I also really preferred his film "Unknown Chaplin" (also by Brownlow) as it gave much more insight into Chaplin's directorial style. Still, it's well worth seeing and offers a few really nice insights into "The Great Dictator".

A respectable if a bit rushed accounting of the lives of Chaplin (born April 16, 1889) and Hitler (born April 20, 1889), and the events that led them into opposition as the Nazis rose to power in Germany. There are interviews with people like Sidney Lumet and Ray Bradbury that I couldn't get enough of, and others that either didn't add much or weren't challenged, like the archival footage of the then deceased Reinhard Spitzy, a Nazi in Hitler's inner circle. The film is at its best when it makes observations about the parallels between the two men's lives, like Hitler who was a supreme actor while orating and critically needed sound while being filmed, whereas Chaplin always thrived in the silent medium.

The documentary would make quite an accompanying piece to Chaplin's masterpiece The Great Dictator because it provides so much context to that film, including just how much courage and resolve Chaplin had to summon to make it, and some of its finer satirical moments. Some of the context was the fact that antisemitism was alive and well in America too, and it doesn't shy away from this. Having Chaplin's brother Sydney's color home footage of the shooting of The Great Dictator weaved in was a nice treat as well. The documentary builds to Chaplin's big speech at the end but then curiously doesn't let it play in its entirety, which I think was a mistake, as stirring as it was.

Chaplin was a beacon of light about fascism at a time when Hollywood was generally trying to ignore the problem and appease as many people as possible, foreign and domestic. To its credit, while the post-war commentary is brief, the documentary includes the bitter irony of Chaplin having been forced into exile during the communist witch hunt, having set this up with explanations of his satire of capitalism in another of his masterpieces, Modern Times (1936).

I still brim with admiration for Chaplin's humanism and how he used his immense popularity on things of importance, like helping wake Americans up to the evil that was going on in the world. The documentary could have been more fleshed out, but it's well worth seeing, even if you're already knowledgeable on the subject.

A fascinating documentary that explores the making of Charles Chaplin's first "talkie" The Great Dictator (1940) and draws many things that between Chaplin and Hitler had in common. The film contains colour home movie footage of the film's production which where shot by Charles' brother Sydney. These never before seen films were discovered by his daughter Victoria while looking though an old suitcase she found in the basement. The raw footage gives us an alternate insight to Chaplin's classic film which started production years before Adolph Hitler was seen as a major threat in the western world.