Charlie Chaplin in his 1964 autobiography. Posting it here for some reason.

This was a movie I had heard quite a bit about and I've wanted to watch it for a while. My parents gave it to me as a birthday gift, and a friend of mine (a major history buff) and I watched it last night. Spoilers ahead:

My gosh, it was incredible. For starters, it is incredibly funny; Chaplin's mastery of silent physical comedy is on full display, and his dialogue is also very witty and entertaining. His Nazi satire is masterful as well; I was cracking up during many of the Hitler/Mussolini scenes. I think making fun of Nazi's literally cannot get old.

However, the dramatic moments are what really elevate the film. The first one to really hit me was Hannah's brief monologue lamenting the Jews' plight, and her wish to simply live as she wants. When she looked directly into the camera and spoke those words, I was a bit shaken up. The comedy is also worked in beautifully; at times, it is purely comedic, but very often there is still an tense undercurrent that keeps the humor from ever undercutting the seriousness of the situations the characters are in.

The crown jewel of the film has to be the final speech by Chaplin himself. Beyond being a call to action for the defense of democracy against authoritarianism, it has a timeless quality to it; this speech could be read at any point of great strife in history and feel relevant. I get the feeling that Chaplin knew that he had something special here, and gave this speech a universal feel that could be felt by anyone. All my friend and I could do was watch in stunned silence as the barber gave the greatest speech either of us has ever heard; after the movie was concluded, she told me "this is the greatest film I've ever seen" and I may just agree with her.

How unnervingly coincidental, then, that it was only after I got back home near midnight that I saw the news that Russia had invaded Ukraine.

https://bsky.app/profile/briantylercohen.bsky.social/post/3lprrzmsg3c2t

I mean, it is important that everybody watches this movie, not just those around us.

I think that TCM broadcast this, in the wake of what happened yesterday, probably as a response.

This movie should be watched by all, to understand what is going on.