The Great Dictator
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
Directed by Charles Chaplin · Comedy · Drama · War · 125 min · 1941
Trailer
Director
Charles Chaplin
Writer
Charlie Chaplin
Studio
Charles Chaplin Film Corporation
Release
07 Mar 1941
Runtime
125 min
Genres
Comedy, Drama, War
Full Plot
20 years after the end of WWI, in which the nation of Tomainia was on the losing side, Adenoid Hynkel has risen to power as the ruthless dictator of the country. He believes in a pure Aryan state and the decimation of the Jews. This situation is unknown to a simple Jewish Tomainian barber who has been hospitalized since a WWI battle. Upon his release the barber, who had been suffering from memory loss about the war, is shown the new persecuted life of the Jews by many living in the Jewish ghetto, including a washerwoman named Hannah with whom he begins a relationship. The barber is ultimately spared such persecution by Commander Schultz, whom he saved in that WWI battle. The lives of all Jews in Tomainia are eventually spared with a policy shift by Hynkel himself, who is doing so for ulterior motives. But those motives include a desire for world domination, starting with the invasion of neighboring Osterlich, which may be threatened by Benzino Napaloni, the dictator of neighboring Bacteria. Ultimately Schultz, who has turned traitor against Hynkel's regime, and the barber may be able to join forces to take control of the situation, using Schultz's inside knowledge of the regime's workings and the barber's uncanny resemblance to one of those in power.
Cast & Characters
Charles Chaplin
Hannah, the barber's neighbor. She lives in the ghetto next to the barber shop. She supports the barber against the Tomainian stormtroopers. (She was Chaplin's actual wife at the time.)
Paulette Goddard
Benzino Napaloni, the Diggaditchie of Bacteria (a parody of Benito Mussolini, Il Duce of Italy and a reference to French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte).
Jack Oakie
Adenoid Hynkel, the dictator, or "Phooey", of Tomainia (a parody of Adolf Hitler, the Führer of Nazi Germany) who attacks the Jews with his stormtroopers. He has Schultz arrested and has his stormtroopers hunt down the Jewish barber. Hynkel is later arrested by his own soldiers in the woods near the border, who mistake him for the barber.
Charlie Chaplin
Commander Schultz, a Tomainian who fought in World War I, who commands soldiers in the 1930s. He has his troops abstain from attacking Jews, but is arrested by Hynkel, after which he becomes a loyal ally to the barber. He later leads the invasion of Osterlich and helps the barber pretend to be Adenoid Hynkel in his (successful) attempt at saving Osterlich.
Reginald Gardiner
Garbitsch, a parody of Joseph Goebbels, and Hynkel's loyal and stoic Secretary of the Interior and Minister of Propaganda.
Henry Daniell
Herring, a parody of Hermann Göring, and Hynkel's Minister of War. He supervises demonstrations of newly developed weapons, which tend to fail and annoy Hynkel.
Billy Gilbert
Madame Napaloni, the wife of Benzino who later dances with Hynkel. In Italy, scenes involving her were all cut out of respect to Benito Mussolini's widow Rachele until 2002.
Grace Hayle
Spook, the Bacterian ambassador.
Carter DeHaven
Mr. Jaeckel, an elderly Jew who befriends Hannah. Mr. Jaeckel is the renter of the barber salon. This was Moscovich's last film before dying at age 68.
Maurice Moscovich
Mrs. Jaeckel
Emma Dunn
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $2.0M, The Great Dictator has grossed $11.0M worldwide — about 5.5x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
Charles Chaplin has directed 5 films in our catalog, including The Gold Rush, Modern Times.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
Charles Chaplin appears in 5 films in our catalog, including The Gold Rush, Modern Times.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
Did You Know that Chaplin's inspiration for The Great Dictator came from Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda film Triumph of the Will, which he viewed with French filmmaker René Clair.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that Luis Buñuel reported that filmmaker René Clair was horrified by the power of Triumph of the Will and cried out that it should never be shown.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that Chaplin laughed uproariously at Triumph of the Will, which inspired him to create a satirical film with similar themes.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that Chaplin's Little Tramp character was influenced by Hitler's mustache, which became a recurring joke in the film.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
The Great Dictator holds 8.4/10 on IMDb (258,304 votes), 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of July 30, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.4/10 on IMDb (258,304 votes), 92% on Rotten Tomatoes), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Great Dictator's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
The Great Dictator holds a 92% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is The Great Dictator's IMDb rating?+
The Great Dictator has a 8.4/10 rating on IMDb from 258,304 votes.
Is The Great Dictator good? What are critics saying?+
The Great Dictator holds 8.4/10 on IMDb (258,304 votes), 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
How long is The Great Dictator?+
The Great Dictator has a runtime of 125 min.
Who directed The Great Dictator?+
The Great Dictator was directed by Charles Chaplin.
Where can I watch The Great Dictator?+
The Great Dictator is available to stream, rent, or buy on fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, YouTube, Lionsgate Play, Lionsgate Play Apple TV Channel, Lionsgate Play Amazon Channel.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to "The Great Dictator" has been overwhelmingly positive. Reviewers praised the film's relevance and timeliness in addressing dictators and dictator-wannabes, with some even calling it a powerful commentary on human nature. The film's trailer comments range from enthusiastic praise to outrage and shock.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
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 s…
wizzardss · 8/10Forever great, forever relevant as dictators and dictator-wannabes do their best to deprive the humans of their humanity.
userloser · 10/10
From the trailer's comments
I knew a girl who believed this was a real clip of Hitler. I didn't know whether to applaud Charlie or scream at her stupidity.
@ilovekane19 · 102 likes0:27 evil laugh
@ZhaoZìHaò.1945 · 10 likesI think this is the most important scene in the history of cinema.
@daniangry · 13 likesCharlie Chaplin is fucking amazing.
@SolarCrusader · 18 likes2:03 When you realized you destroy the earth.
@jayzreal_56 · 17 likesPut it to 1080p, it looks absolutely fucking amazing!!!
@thomasvercetti421 · 8 likesلم أسمع به و لم أتمكن من مشاهدته الا اليوم 21 _02_2021
@صالحقريرة · 1 likesLol came out on my birthday.
@Ilikelimpbizkit · 1 likes
