Court Painter with Charlie Chaplin images from 1940 movie The Great Dictator
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Excerpt from film essay The Great Dictator by Jeffrey Vance
‘Probably the most famous sequence of “The Great Dictator”(1940) is the five-minute speech that concludes the film. Here Chaplin drops his comic mask and speaks directly to the world, conveying his view that people must rise up against dictators and unite in peace. The most enduring aspects of the final speech are its aspirational quality and tone and its underlying faith in humanity. Chaplin sketches a hopeful future in broad strokes and leaves the implementation of his vision to others, despite the fact that the more unsavory aspects of human nature may prevent mankind ever reaching his promised utopia. Although some may find Chaplin’s message cliché, and even frustrating, one cannot help but be moved by the prescience of his words and the appeal of his powerful indictment of all who seek to take power unto themselves to the detriment of everyone else. The final speech of “The Great Dictator” remains relevant and valuable in the twenty-first century and likely will remain so as long as conflict corrupts human interaction and despots endure.’
Court Painter has included images of an aspiring dictator…the US election, Tuesday, November 5, 2024, will determine whether he gets his wish!
