Once again - the whole world laughs!
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
The Great Dictator (1940) is a comedy and war film directed by Charlie Chaplin, released on October 15, 1940 with a runtime of 2h 5m. It stars Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie and Reginald Gardiner. Viewers rate it 8.3 out of 10 across 3,794 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Great Dictator before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Great Dictator.
Trailer
Trailer
Clip
Featurette
Charlie Chaplin
as Adenoid Hynkel, Dictator of Tomania / A Jewish Barber
Paulette Goddard
as Hannah
Jack Oakie
as Benzino Napaloni, Dictator of Bacteria
Reginald Gardiner
as Commander Schultz
Henry Daniell
as Garbitsch
Billy Gilbert
as Field Marshal Herring
Grace Hayle
as Madame Napaloni
Carter DeHaven
as Spook
Maurice Moscovitch
as Mr. Jaeckel
Emma Dunn
as Mrs. Jaeckel
Bernard Gorcey
as Mr. Mann
Paul Weigel
as Mr. Agar
Directed by Charlie Chaplin, written by Charlie Chaplin, produced by Charlie Chaplin.
Average viewer score of 8.3/10 from 3,794 ratings.
In September 1939, six days after Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, Charlie Chaplin began filming his next feature. Drawing on the public perception of the similarities between himself and Adolf Hitler - not just his toothbrush moustache but also their upbringings - Chaplin sought to directly parody and attack the German führer and fascism. In _The Great Dictator_, Adenoid Hynkel (Chaplin) rules Tomania and…
Reviewed on February 18, 2021
Forever great, forever relevant as dictators and dictator-wannabes do their best to deprive the humans of their humanity.
Reviewed on May 20, 2026
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The Great Dictator (1940) is available to stream on fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max and IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Great Dictator (1940) includes Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner and Henry Daniell. The film was directed by Charlie Chaplin. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Great Dictator was released on October 15, 1940 and runs for 2h 5m.
The Great Dictator (1940) holds an average rating of 8.3 out of 10 from 3,794 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy comedy and war films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Great Dictator trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
