...one of the few motion pictures of the day to stand up and be counted against the forces of tyranny and injustice, for which it must always be commended.
Video:
The picture quality of this old black-and-white film is outstanding, beautifully clear and clean. There are no moiré effects or shimmering lines and no grain to speak of; the print is of pristine quality, free of age marks of any kind. The B&W contrasts are generally good, too, and definition is remarkably vivid. The disc reproduces a print taken from the Chaplin family vault, so it's no wonder it sparkles; if the source is good and the engineering is good, the transfer will be good. This one is very good, indeed. The image probably looks better than it did in 1940 when it was first released.
Audio:
The film's original monaural soundtrack has been remixed to good effect in Dolby Digital 5.1. The results not only broaden the soundstage but further clarify the sonics. The rear channels are nicely utilized also, with the sounds of battle in the opening sequence especially well rendered. Add in crowd noises, airplanes, trains, and the like emanating from the rear, plus the usual musical ambience reinforcement, and you get audio reproduction that appears extraordinarily new. Dialogue comes across crisply and naturally, as well, the audio engineers wisely keeping it in the center channel; and the backgrounds are free of extraneous hiss, crackles, or pops. Of course, there are limited dynamic and frequency ranges, so don't expect modern blockbuster sound, but for its age, like the picture quality, the audio is excellent. For the purists among us, the original mono track is also available, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to listen to it when the alternative is so good.
Extras:
As with the other sets in "The Chaplin Collection," this one comes on two discs. Disc one contains the 1940 film in a standard, black-and-white screen presentation; Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby mono soundtracks; English, French, and Spanish languages; English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Thai, and Korean subtitles; and twenty scene selections.
Disc two's major bonus item is a fifty-five minute documentary, "The Tramp and the Dictator," made for Turner Classic Movies in 2001 and narrated by Kenneth Branagh. It is divided into thirteen chapters and covers everything from the production's history to behind-the-scenes material. Interviews with filmmakers, historians, and critics of the time paint a vivid picture both of Chaplin the funnyman and of Hitler the madman. Interestingly, the two men were the same age to the month; and, incidentally, a member of Hitler's inner circle later said that Hitler saw and actually enjoyed "The Great Dictator," especially the takeoffs on Mussolini. But he still banned it in all of occupied Europe. Next, there is twenty-five minutes of the production filmed in color by Sydney Chaplin, the star's brother. This material may also be viewed interspersed with parallel B&W footage from the film. After that is a scene called "Chaplin the Barber" from a 1919 silent film, "Sunnyside," showing us the origins of barber's character in "The Great Dictator." Then there is a brief scene from "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) involving Hitler and Mussolini, followed by a poster gallery of art from the film. Finally, there are excerpts from ten other films in "The Chaplin Collection," each lasting several minutes.
Parting Thoughts:
"The Great Dictator" is not so zany or so funny a spoof of war and dictatorships as the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup" of a few years earlier. In fact, "The Great Dictator" is a lot like a toned-down Mel Brooks take-off. But Chaplin's film is more courageous and more powerful in its immediacy and historical importance than anything the Marx boys or Brooks ever did.
A person can hardly blame Chaplin for the excesses of his character's final speech, this film being so utterly and completely an expression of the man's personal convictions. But while the speech, spoken directly from Chaplin's heart, may upset the mood of the story temporarily, it does no lasting harm. "The Great Dictator" was one of the few motion pictures of the day to stand up and be counted against the forces of tyranny and injustice, for which it must always be commended. The picture's uneasy blend of comedy and moralizing about such serious topics as dictatorships and persecution can be a bit discomforting, true, even when we know the filmmakers' heart is in the right place; but modern audiences can still find many moments of genuine humor and insight in the movie, and certainly the themes remain urgent.
It was ironic that this man who so cherished freedom and democracy would at the height of the McCarthy Era a decade later be subjected to accusations of un-Americanism and eventually forced to abandon the adopted country he loved so well. Chaplin was told after a visit to Europe in 1953 that his return would be questioned by the U.S. Department of Justice, so he relinquished his reentry permit. It was not until 1972 that Chaplin would come back to the United States and then only to accept a special award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
"The Great Dictator" is one of ten Chaplin films that Paris-based MK2 and the Warner studios are releasing in special-edition DVD sets. Among the others in the first wave of entries are "The Gold Rush," "Modern Times," and "Limelight." What do you mean, do I recommend them?
The picture quality of this old black-and-white film is outstanding, beautifully clear and clean. There are no moiré effects or shimmering lines and no grain to speak of; the print is of pristine quality, free of age marks of any kind. The B&W contrasts are generally good, too, and definition is remarkably vivid. The disc reproduces a print taken from the Chaplin family vault, so it's no wonder it sparkles; if the source is good and the engineering is good, the transfer will be good. This one is very good, indeed. The image probably looks better than it did in 1940 when it was first released.
Audio:
The film's original monaural soundtrack has been remixed to good effect in Dolby Digital 5.1. The results not only broaden the soundstage but further clarify the sonics. The rear channels are nicely utilized also, with the sounds of battle in the opening sequence especially well rendered. Add in crowd noises, airplanes, trains, and the like emanating from the rear, plus the usual musical ambience reinforcement, and you get audio reproduction that appears extraordinarily new. Dialogue comes across crisply and naturally, as well, the audio engineers wisely keeping it in the center channel; and the backgrounds are free of extraneous hiss, crackles, or pops. Of course, there are limited dynamic and frequency ranges, so don't expect modern blockbuster sound, but for its age, like the picture quality, the audio is excellent. For the purists among us, the original mono track is also available, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to listen to it when the alternative is so good.
Extras:
As with the other sets in "The Chaplin Collection," this one comes on two discs. Disc one contains the 1940 film in a standard, black-and-white screen presentation; Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby mono soundtracks; English, French, and Spanish languages; English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Thai, and Korean subtitles; and twenty scene selections.
Disc two's major bonus item is a fifty-five minute documentary, "The Tramp and the Dictator," made for Turner Classic Movies in 2001 and narrated by Kenneth Branagh. It is divided into thirteen chapters and covers everything from the production's history to behind-the-scenes material. Interviews with filmmakers, historians, and critics of the time paint a vivid picture both of Chaplin the funnyman and of Hitler the madman. Interestingly, the two men were the same age to the month; and, incidentally, a member of Hitler's inner circle later said that Hitler saw and actually enjoyed "The Great Dictator," especially the takeoffs on Mussolini. But he still banned it in all of occupied Europe. Next, there is twenty-five minutes of the production filmed in color by Sydney Chaplin, the star's brother. This material may also be viewed interspersed with parallel B&W footage from the film. After that is a scene called "Chaplin the Barber" from a 1919 silent film, "Sunnyside," showing us the origins of barber's character in "The Great Dictator." Then there is a brief scene from "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) involving Hitler and Mussolini, followed by a poster gallery of art from the film. Finally, there are excerpts from ten other films in "The Chaplin Collection," each lasting several minutes.
Parting Thoughts:
"The Great Dictator" is not so zany or so funny a spoof of war and dictatorships as the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup" of a few years earlier. In fact, "The Great Dictator" is a lot like a toned-down Mel Brooks take-off. But Chaplin's film is more courageous and more powerful in its immediacy and historical importance than anything the Marx boys or Brooks ever did.
A person can hardly blame Chaplin for the excesses of his character's final speech, this film being so utterly and completely an expression of the man's personal convictions. But while the speech, spoken directly from Chaplin's heart, may upset the mood of the story temporarily, it does no lasting harm. "The Great Dictator" was one of the few motion pictures of the day to stand up and be counted against the forces of tyranny and injustice, for which it must always be commended. The picture's uneasy blend of comedy and moralizing about such serious topics as dictatorships and persecution can be a bit discomforting, true, even when we know the filmmakers' heart is in the right place; but modern audiences can still find many moments of genuine humor and insight in the movie, and certainly the themes remain urgent.
It was ironic that this man who so cherished freedom and democracy would at the height of the McCarthy Era a decade later be subjected to accusations of un-Americanism and eventually forced to abandon the adopted country he loved so well. Chaplin was told after a visit to Europe in 1953 that his return would be questioned by the U.S. Department of Justice, so he relinquished his reentry permit. It was not until 1972 that Chaplin would come back to the United States and then only to accept a special award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
"The Great Dictator" is one of ten Chaplin films that Paris-based MK2 and the Warner studios are releasing in special-edition DVD sets. Among the others in the first wave of entries are "The Gold Rush," "Modern Times," and "Limelight." What do you mean, do I recommend them?
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[release]10922[/release]