Singer (Charlie Chaplin), the dictator of Tomania, comes to power. His massive expansion led to constant war and crippling people's lives. Moreover, he carried out a conspiracy policy, inciting the hostility and hatred of the people against the Jews, and causing the Jewish people to fall into a dire disaster. Charlie (Charlie Chaplin), a Jewish barber who was drafted into the army, was even more vulnerable to such a high-pressure policy. When Charlie fled the border, he was mistaken for the dictator Singer by the troops stationed here, and he took the opportunity to give a "fight for freedom" speech.
narrative
1. The two lines of Hitler and the barber are described separately. The two influence each other, but only in the end are they intertwined in subtle ways. Continuing the style of Chaplin, although there is a strict causal relationship between the plots, the stories in each plot segment are not just for narrative, but there are many plot points created purely for comedy. Montage passages, superimposed together using newspapers etc. to suggest the passage of time, is a common technique used in this segment of Hollywood films.
2. Chaplin, as an anti-dialogue director, undercuts the use of dialogue even in this sound film. Especially in this film, Hitler's speech is in an incomprehensible fictional language, which further proves that Chaplin believes that in his own film, many dialogues are irrelevant (at the end of the film "Modern Times"). In the song, Chaplin also uses a fictional language to sing, but fully expresses the content of the song with actions), here, it has the effect of strengthening the spicy satire of Hitler's character.
3. The irony of the film is also reflected in many other aspects, such as the attitude of the officers around him towards Hitler, and the mismatched narration. While the big officers around Hitler gave Hitler ideas, they skillfully applied the advice of harming others to the film. Hitler himself, and silently stand out through the mise-en-scène.
4. In addition to the two plot lines of Hitler and the barber, there is also the story of the Hannah family. In addition to inheriting the love theme that has always existed in Chaplin's comedies, the two male intellectual characters of this family also played a role in inheriting the plot. They replaced the narration in the movie to convey the changes in the background of the times, for the future. A plot foreshadowing.
5. The last speech is of educational significance. This is also the first time in a Chaplin film that I have seen the male lead, a gentleman who has always been unreliable, have such a long and exciting speech. It is hard not to say this paragraph. , can be used as a declaration of Chaplin's outlook on life, not only satirizing the dictatorship, but also reflecting the alienation of people caused by the industrialization that Chaplin satirized in "Modern Times" before. It's really touching to watch.
6. Create a contrast between Hitler and the barber: evil and good, false and real, voiced and silent. In the end, Jews and dictators.
2. Audiovisual
1. As always, the usual themes of Chaplin's comedies are adopted, such as: dance moves, unconventional use of objects. Such as Hitler playing the earth and the barber shaving his head to the music. It is worth mentioning that the flimsy earth in Hitler's final hands broke, perhaps with symbolic meaning.
2. The flat set, probably in the way of studio painting, has a certain abstract, German expressionist set style
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