The Great Dictator
“Once again - the whole world laughs!”
Synopsis
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Original TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2020-01-10
Top Cast
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Charlie Chaplin
Adenoid Hynkel, Dictator of Tomania / A Jewish Barber
Paulette Goddard
Hannah
Jack Oakie
Benzino Napaloni, Dictator of Bacteria
Reginald Gardiner
Commander Schultz
Henry Daniell
Garbitsch
Billy Gilbert
Field Marshal Herring
Grace Hayle
Madame Napaloni
Carter DeHaven
Spook
Maurice Moscovitch
Mr. Jaeckel
Emma Dunn
Mrs. Jaeckel
Bernard Gorcey
Mr. Mann
Paul Weigel
Mr. Agar
Chester Conklin
Barber's Customer
Esther Michelson
Jewish Woman
Hank Mann
Storm Trooper Stealing Fruit
Florence Wright
Blonde Secretary
Eddie Gribbon
Tomanian Storm Trooper
Rudolph Anders
Tomanian Commandant at Osterlich / Robert O. Davis
Release History & Theatrical Window
Paraná, Entre Ríos
Festival / Special Debut
October 23, 1940
Wide Cinema Exhibition
August 24, 2015
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$2M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$11M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
5.5x
+$9M net gain
Theatrical Status
Mega Hit
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Charlie Chaplin
- Screenplay & Story
- Charlie Chaplin
- Original Score
- Charlie Chaplin, Meredith Willson
- Original Title
- The Great Dictator
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English, Esperanto
- Runtime
- 2h 5m
- Production Budget
- $2M
- Worldwide Gross
- $11M
- Production Studios
- Charles Chaplin Productions
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin, Meredith Willson
Karl Struss, Roland Totheroh
Willard Nico
Charlie Chaplin
Department Leadership Roster
Karl Struss
Director of Photography
Willard Nico
Editor
Charlie Chaplin
Original Music Composer
Roland Totheroh
Director of Photography
Charlie Chaplin
Director
Meredith Willson
Original Music Composer
Charlie Chaplin
Producer
Charlie Chaplin
Screenplay
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
General — Suitable for all audiences.
FSK 6 — Restricted to viewers aged 6 and older.
Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Great Dictator.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Great Dictator.
Movie Collection
Roger Ebert's Great Movies
Every film from Roger Ebert's 'Great Movies' essays. 罗杰·伊伯特的伟大电影： 收录了已故美国著名国民级影评人罗杰·伊伯特（Roger Ebert）在其经典的《伟大电影》（Great Movies）系列专栏文章中推荐、评论过的所有影史经典佳作。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#092] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:35:27 UTC+8)*
TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:30:01 UTC+8)*
Limelight Not Seen
***Retro***
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Great Dictator
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Great Dictator about?
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
Who directed The Great Dictator?
The Great Dictator was directed by Charlie Chaplin.
Who stars in The Great Dictator?
The principal cast of The Great Dictator includes Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner, Henry Daniell.
When was The Great Dictator released and how long is it?
The Great Dictator was released in 1940 with a total runtime of 2h 5m.
What was the box office and production budget of The Great Dictator?
The Great Dictator had a reported production budget of $2M and grossed $11M at the worldwide box office (5.5 return on budget, classified as a blockbuster success).
Who composed the musical score for The Great Dictator?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Great Dictator was composed by Charlie Chaplin, Meredith Willson.
What is the age rating and content advisory for The Great Dictator?
The Great Dictator holds official age classifications: AU: G (General — Suitable for all audiences.); DE: 6 (FSK 6 — Restricted to viewers aged 6 and older.); FR: TP; GB: PG (Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).