In September 1939, six days after Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, Charlie Chaplin began filming his next feature. Drawing on the public perception of the similarities between himself and Adolf Hitler - not just his toothbrush moustache but also their upbringings - Chaplin sought to directly parody and attack the German führer and fascism.

In _The Great Dictator_, Adenoid Hynkel (Chaplin) rules Tomania and sets about his conquest of the world. In doing so, he persecutes Jewish people, including a former veteran of World War I who is now a barber (also Chaplin).

Unsurprisingly, the film was a hit on release, resonating well with the anti-Nazi sentiment in both American and British public. Chaplin understood that delivering his political message was so important that he forewent his usual desire for a silent film in order to get his message across.

Sound is used to great effect in _The Great Dictator_. By studying many of Hitler's speeches, Chaplin was able to create a ludicrous, yet believable, gibberish parody of the Nazi leader's oratory style.

Of course, the physical comedy remains, typically reserved for the barber (who may or may not be Chaplin's silent hero, The Tramp). This combination of physical comedy and irreverent one liners together makes the film feel like a very early Carry On.

While _The Great Dictator_ remains arguably Chaplin's best "talkie", it often feels like it is the end of Chaplin's era of classical pantomime. People being hit on the head with a saucepan comes across as a cheap laugh and it is often the verbal jokes that are the cleverest. Overall the comedy has not aged well.

But _The Great Dictator_ was never designed for longevity. It was perfect propaganda for the Allies, released at a perfect point in the War. For that reason, The Great Dictator can only be judged in the context of its release.

Charlie Chaplin's famously prescient tear-down of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, filmed at the very outset of the second world war (England actually vowed to ban the film due to an early policy of Nazi appeasement, though their attitude flipped before opening day) and released before anyone really understood the height of the German atrocities. Chaplin himself would later express a certain degree of remorse, admitting he never would've made the picture if he'd known just how far the Nazis had gone.

It's an important film, certainly an emphatically heartfelt one, and an astoundingly timely message, but it's also plagued with minor quibbles. A handful of conceptually proficient cornerstone scenes, genuine big-screen magic, are good enough to enhance the whole act. Chaplin's mesmerizing bubble dance with an inflatable globe, as a shining example. A cheeky shave-and-a-haircut routine, expertly timed to match the Brahms playing on a grainy box radio. His passionate, enduring speech at the film's climax, eyes locked upon the camera, which still rings, honest and true, in today's combative social climate.

At the best of times it's a brilliant example of all Chaplin could offer as an entertainer; a perfect mix of silent film pantomime, well-timed musical accompaniment and passionate, assertive rhetoric. At other points, he clearly struggles with the urge to do what he's always done. To cast aside modern soundtrack demands and merely focus on telling the story through sheer physical poetry. Apart from those few radiant examples, his instinct doesn't come as naturally as it once did. Not every scene works. The plot jerks along in stops and starts. As the film's running time grows cumbersome, we miss essential scraps of story, cutting straight to the finish before each piece is properly aligned. Though Chaplin's noble Jewish barber ultimately gets his moment in the sun, his alternate role as the scheming Hitler-lite despot is hardly served a well-deserved comeuppance.

_The Great Dictator_, essentially Chaplin's last bow as an international icon, gives us much to appreciate, and much to ponder, but a wobbly structure and off-kilter rhythm leaves a lot of its seething, righteous cinematic power unrealized.

Chaplin’s first film with full-fledged dialogues is an effective satire of nazism and totalitarianism in general. Its historical value is impressive if we think it was shot right before World War II, at a time there was not nearly as much information on Hitler and his regime as we have now.

For the first time, the usual visual comedy routines are relegated to a marginal role, as more space is given to the plot and especially dialogues. Chaplin plays both the victim and the perpetrator, but while his portrayal of ruthless dictator Adenoid Hynkel is still entertaining to watch, most of the Jewish Barber scenes didn’t age too well. They serve as a good counterpoint to Hynkel’s biting satire, but tend to rely on old school gags and mawkish melodrama a bit too much. The final resolution makes use of the good old mistaken identity trick, but it could have been planned out way more smoothly as identities just get swapped out of the blue with no buildup whatsoever.

The final monologue is one of the most famous moments in cinema history, and still manages to pierce your heart and hit the right spot. However, it sounded more like Charlie Chaplin making a personal statement rather than the Barber speaking, as if the man behind the curtain took over his characters in the end.