Monday, July 13, 2026, 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Instructor: Paul Wright, Ph.D., Main Line Classical Academy
For all the comedy of his work, Charlie Chaplin was always saying something deeper, pairing laughs with difficult, often uncomfortable insights into the world. In The Gold Rush, poverty and materialism were never far from his mind; in Modern Times, he turned to the industrial world’s instrumentalization of the human as mere automaton. The social critique of those earlier films, while never exactly concealed, was always smuggled in via charming narratives of individuals, many variations on Chaplin’s “Tramp” persona.
With The Great Dictator (1940), Chaplin wades even more aggressively into a statement about a world going mad under waves of authoritarianism. Making no secret of his opposition to fascism, Chaplin takes on two roles—one, a Jewish barber; the other, Adenoid Hynkel, dictator of the fictional nation of Tomainia and clear spiritual cousin to the all-too-real Hitler.
By satirizing both the fascist psychology and how so many endlessly rationalize an authoritarian’s many abuses, Chaplin deploys his satire with a precision that would inspire filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, Mel Brooks, and Sacha Baron Cohen. Chaplin lays bare in Hynkel what Hannah Arendt would call the “banality of evil,” the menacingly prosaic nature of those who enable the most extraordinary evils.
Are you interested in “just” seeing this movie? Visit the public screening page here.
Cinema Classics Seminars offer an entertaining and engaging way to learn more about some of the true classics of world cinema. All students receive an introductory lecture before the film and a guided discussion after the film. In addition, those in attendance receive a ticket to see it on the big screen, as well as popcorn and a drink. Please note: the screening associated with this seminar will be open to the public, as well.
Please contact BMFI Programs and Education Manager Jill Malcolm with any questions.
