History Trivia / TheGreatDictator

** Creator/{{Laibach}}'s "Tanz mit Laibach" includes the lines "Wir tanzen Ado Hynkel, Benzino Napoloni".

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: In some ways, the film is actually quite ahead of its time in its satirical depiction of World War II, since it openly mocked the Nazis when the United States was still neutral. In other ways, though, it's clearly an early-1940's film, and its depiction of Nazi Germany can seem rather jarring to modern audiences. For one thing, Creator/CharlieChaplin hadn't known the full scale of the Nazis' racial persecutions at the time the film was made (years later, he said if he had known, he wouldn't have made the movie at all), so he portrays the Nazis' domestic policies as much more mild than they really were, i.e. the Nazi stand-ins are shown bullying and harassing the Jews, but nothing much worse than that. For another thing, he focuses much of the plot on the rivalry between Hitler and Mussolini (er..."Hynkel" and "Benzino") over the occupation of Austria, and portrays Mussolini as a seriously intimidating rival to Hitler; the dispute over the annexation of Austria was big news in 1938, but it's only remembered as a minor historical footnote today, and Fascist Italy is only remembered as an ineffectual ally of Nazi Germany during World War II.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: In some ways, the film is actually quite ahead of its time in its satirical depiction of World War II, since it openly mocked the Nazis when the United States was still neutral. In other ways, though, it's clearly an early-1940's film, and its depiction of Nazi Germany can seem rather jarring to modern audiences. For one thing, Creator/CharlieChaplin hadn't known the full scale of the Holocaust at the time the film was made (years later, he said if he had known, he wouldn't have made the movie at all), so he portrays the Nazis' domestic policies as much more mild than they really were, i.e. the Nazi stand-ins are shown bullying and harassing the Jews, but nothing much worse than that. For another thing, he focuses much of the plot on the rivalry between Hitler and Mussolini (er..."Hynkel" and "Benzino") over the occupation of Austria, and portrays Mussolini as a seriously intimidating rival to Hitler; the dispute over the occupation of Austria was big news in 1940, but it's only remembered as a minor historical footnote today, and Fascist Italy is only remembered as an ineffectual ally of Nazi Germany.

* BecomingTheMask: Creator/CharlieChaplin said wearing Hynkel's costume made him feel more aggressive, and those close to him remember him being more difficult to work with on days he was shooting as Hynkel.

** Although this movie was banned in all occupied countries by the Nazis, it was screened once to a German audience. In the occupied Balkans, members of a resistance group switched the reels in a military cinema and replaced a comedic opera with a copy of this film, which they had smuggled in from Greece. So a group of German soldiers enjoyed a screening of this film until they realized what it was. Some left the cinema and some were reported to have fired shots at the screen.

** Unsurprisingly, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler banned the film in Germany and in all countries occupied by the Nazis. Curiosity got the best of him, and he had a print brought in through Portugal. History records that he screened it twice, in private, but history did not record his reaction to the film. Creator/CharlieChaplin said, "I'd give anything to know what he thought of it." For political reasons in Germany, the ban stayed after the end of WWII until 1958.

* InspirationForTheWork: Chaplin was inspired to make the film after viewing ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'' with French filmmaker René Clair at the New York Museum of Modern Art. Filmmaker Luis Buñuel reports that Clair was horrified by the power of the film, crying out that this should never be shown or the West was lost. Chaplin, on the other hand, laughed uproariously at the film, thinking Hitler was the greatest comedian he'd ever seen.

* InspirationForTheWork: Chaplin was inspired to make the film after viewing ''Film/TheTriumphOfTheWill'' with French filmmaker René Clair at the New York Museum of Modern Art. Filmmaker Luis Buñuel reports that Clair was horrified by the power of the film, crying out that this should never be shown or the West was lost. Chaplin, on the other hand, laughed uproariously at the film, thinking Hitler was the greatest comedian he'd ever seen.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Some of Creator/CharlieChaplin's associates tried to talk him out of the final speech about peace. One film salesman said the speech would cost him a million dollars at the box office. Chaplin replied, "Well, I don't care if it's five million."

* DoingItForTheArt: Creator/CharlieChaplin financed the film himself.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: As originally written, the final speech, in which the barber is still masquerading as Hynkel, was a call for peace through appeasement. As news reports came in from Europe, however, he re-wrote it as a call for peace and liberty for all. Some critics, most notably columnist Ed Sullivan, claimed that the speech was pure Communist propaganda.

** In Spain, the film was banned until dictator Francisco Franco died, in 1975. It would be released there in April 1976.

* CreatorBacklash: Creator/CharlieChaplin stated had he known about the FinalSolution in 1940, he'd have never made the film.

-->'''Chaplin''': ''I know talking will be the end of the Tramp. But at least he'll end saying something I believe in.''

** Unsurprisingly, AdolfHitler banned the film in Germany and in all countries occupied by the Nazis. Curiosity got the best of him, and he had a print brought in through Portugal. History records that he screened it twice, in private, but history did not record his reaction to the film. Creator/CharlieChaplin said, "I'd give anything to know what he thought of it." For political reasons in Germany, the ban stayed after the end of WWII until 1958.

* RevisedEnding: The film originally ended with the soldiers all breaking into a folk dance. This was abandoned, although footage of it exists.

* ActingForTwo: Chaplin plays both the hero and the villain, though they never meet in person.
* CreatorBacklash: Chaplin stated had he known about the FinalSolution in 1940, he'd have never made the film.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: In his autobiography Chaplin, who'd resisted for ten years going over to talkies, revealed that his original concept of the film was to mix silent sequences featuring the Tramp with talking sequences featuring The Great Dictator.

* ActingForTwo: Chapling plays both the hero and the villain, though they never meet in person.

* HarsherInHindsight: While this film is an obvious spoof on UsefulNote/AdolfHitler, 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.
** Hynkel agrees to the treaty with Napaloni after it's pointed out to him that he can just break the treaty after it's been signed. Less than a year after the film was released, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, breaking the Molotov-Ribbentrop non-agression pact.