Charlie Chaplin The Great Dictator (play with English surtitles)

The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin’s most influential work, is a deeply humanistic piece of cinematic art. The ruthless sarcasm and ingenious clowning, which Chaplin uses as he plays both the little barber and the great dictator, relieved millions of their anxieties. His unforgettable accessories, the moustache, the shoes, and the bowler hat along with his gestures have all imprinted themselves onto our minds.

The story takes place just before WW2, in a time when poverty and madness reached a level like never before. The faith in humanity and freedom had failed. It was on the advice of Hungarian born film director and producer Alexander Korda, that Chaplin started working on The Great Dictator. The film follows the development of Hitler’s Reich and the hardships the Jews had to endure, up until the occupation of Austria.

Later in his life Chaplin said: „Had I known at the time of the horrors of the German concentration camps, I wouldn’t have made The Great Dictator, I wouldn’t have made a joke out of the murderous lunacy of the Nazis.”

The performance is recommended for ages 16+.

Enikő Eszenyi is the first theatre director in Hungary to receive the licence of the Chaplin family to stage The Great Dictator.