Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Great Dictator Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 29, 2015

Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" (1940) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers; Serge Toubiana's documentary "Chaplin Today: The Great Dictator"; behind the scenes color footage; and more. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Dangerous encounter

Charlie Chaplin plays two very different characters in his notorious mockery The Great Dictator. The first is an unnamed poor and not terribly smart private who loses his memory and becomes a barber. The second is Hynkel, the ambitious leader of Tomania, who thinks, acts and looks a lot like Adolf Hitler.

The Great Dictator opens with the Tomanian War. After a series of battle scenes, the private miraculously saves the life of a wounded pilot, Schultz (Reginald Gardiner), on his way to deliver important documents to his superiors that could decide the Tomanian War. He crashes the pilot’s plane, however, and loses his memory.

Twenty years later. Hynkel dreams of exterminating the Jews and conquering the world. Assisted by Herring (Billy Gilbert), Minister of War, and Garbitsch (Henry Daniell), Minister of Propaganda, Hynkel is convinced that it is only a matter of time before his dream becomes a reality.

A surprising visit by Napaloni (Jack Oakie), leader of Bacteria, who opposes Hynkel’s plan to invade Osterlich, a neighboring state, changes everything. During a military parade, the two challenge and then openly attack each other - and Hynkel realizes that he is not the only one dreaming about conquering the world.

Meanwhile, the private who once fought in the Tomanian War opens up a barber shop in the middle of a giant ghetto and falls in love with a beautiful Jewish girl, Hannah (Paulette Goddard). Shortly after, he is shocked to discover that Tomania is ruled by a fascist dictator.

One day, the private turned barber is nearly killed by a group of angry storm troopers. He is miraculously saved by Schultz, who has become a trusted member of Hynkel’s government. At first the barber cannot recognize Schultz, but after he describes to him how he saved his life during the Tomanian War, he instantly regains his memory. Before Schultz leaves, he orders the storm troopers not to bother the barber or his customers ever again.

Meanwhile, Hynkel, who has decided to invade Osterlich despite Napaloni’s opposition, is informed that Schultz has openly criticized his plan to exterminate the Jews. Stunned and angered, he immediately orders Garbitsch to get rid of him, but Schultz manages to evade Garbitsch’s men and ends up at the barber shop.

Dressed as Tomanian soldiers, Schultz and the barber head to Osterlich. Once at the border, however, something strange happens – the barber, who looks exactly like Hynkel, is mistaken for the dictator and escorted back to his palace to deliver a speech to commemorate the invasion of Osterlich, while the real Hynkel, who is on a hunting trip in the countryside, is mistaken for the barber and detained.

Nominated for five Oscar awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role, The Great Dictator is Chaplin’s most serious comedy. Generally speaking, it is fairly effective in delivering clear and well calculated jabs at the leaders of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

The Great Dictator, however, is also Chaplin’s most predictable film. While there are many memorable scenes in it, its main characters are notably one-dimensional, even dull. If not for Chaplin’s occasional brilliant improvisations, almost none of which rival those of his earlier films, The Great Dictator would have likely remained unnoticed.

The Great Dictator Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye.

The release has been sourced from the same MK2 master which Park Circus initially accessed when they prepared their Blu-ray release of the classic film. In other words, the basic characteristics of these releases are virtually identical. The bulk of the daylight footage, for instance, looks very good, and close-ups in particular impress with good depth and clarity. Grain is visible throughout the entire film, but there are some traces of careful grain/noise management. The good news is that they never become distracting. In fact, it is easy to see that in select areas they have actually helped rebalance the image. Some traces of very light sharpening can be spotted, but they are harmless as well. There are no stability issues, though some unevenness is present during select transitions. Lastly, there are no large cuts, debris, or damage marks. All in all, while there is certainly room for some minor improvements, the current technical presentation is indeed thoroughly satisfying. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Great Dictator Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The lossless track opens up the film very well, though it is primarily the music that benefits the most. The speeches sound crisper, but rather predictably dynamic intensity is limited. There are no pops, audio dropouts, distracting hiss, or digital distortions to report in our review.

The Great Dictator Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Chaplin Today: The Great Dictator - a wonderful documentary by Serge Toubiana and Costa-Gavras, produced by MK2TV, in association with France 5, focusing on the production history of The Great Dictator, its political message, Chaplin's relationship with his co-star Paulette Goddard, etc. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• The Tour Filmed in Color by Sydney Chaplin - Charlie Chaplin's half-brother, Sydney, was present during the shooting of The Great Dictator. He documented it on a 16mm Kodachrome film, and his footage is presented here without sound. (The same footage is also included on the Park Circus release and on the Criterion release). Color. (26 min).

• Trailers - original trailers for The Great Dictator produced by MK2. (3 min).

• Extracts from the Films in The Charlie Chaplin Collection - (11 min).

The Great Dictator Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This new release of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator is sourced from the same master which MK2 provided to Park Circus in 2010. While there is some room for minor improvements, I think that the film looks quite wonderful on Blu-ray. Consider adding it to your collection if you enjoy Charlie Chaplin's work. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.