On Thursday, January 26, the Edmond Town Hall will have two special screenings of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940) in HD, a matinee at 1 PM and an evening show at 7 PM. The matinee will be subtitled for those with hearing impairment, and tickets are $3.
Charlie Chaplin wrote the script and began production on The Great Dictator in 1937, before most people believed Nazism was so despicable. Chaplin openly mocked not only the Third Reich's leader, but also Mussolini in The Great Dictator. By the time of the film's release, Britain was at war with Germany and in the midst of the blitz. Chaplin reportedly said that had he known the true extent of Nazi atrocities, he "could not have made fun of their homicidal insanity."
In this, his first "talkie" film, Chaplin plays Dictator Adenoid Hynkel, who tries to expand his empire, while a poor Jewish barber (who looks remarkably like Hynkel) tries to avoid persecution. In one of the most indelible scenes, Hynkel humorously toys with an illuminated, inflatable, enormous globe.
Later, due to mistaken identity, the barber ends up standing before so many microphones as Hynkel to give a radio speech, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor," he begins, "I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black man, white....More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness....To those who can hear me, I say, do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress..." It is a speech full of sadness, and hope for a more beautiful future.
Sponsorships are available for several films in the season; contact coordinator Jen Rogers at sundaycinemaseries@gmail.com for information.
Don't miss a film. Visit www.facebook.com/sundaycinemaseries for more information.