Chaplin’s Speech
Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” was made near the start of WWII. It still holds up as a comedy with great moments and running gags. There is no attempt at subtle portrayals of Hitler and Mussolini here. They are mocked as the maniacal buffoons we wish they had actually been.
Chaplin took some significant risks making this film. As of 1940, the Nazis were on the rise. Should they ultimately be victorious, putting such a scathing portrayal on film which could result in the execution of everyone associated with it, especially Chaplin.
While still being a comedy, the seriousness of the message is never more obvious than in his speech at the end. It’s a passionate call to the conscience of anyone listening. The world at the time was headed towards totalitarian conquests and his call to the individual to stand against them speaks to us today. We too are witnessing competing totalitarian ideas vying for dominance. Can they be resisted?
Watch and listen. See if you don’t feel a stir of something defiant in the face of those demanding your obedience.
I wrote the music as an homage to the idealist in Chaplin. I often sense the desire for a more peaceful world while lamenting its obvious absence. Music is about tension and release, rising and falling, waxing and waning. May the totalitarian urge I see all around me wane.