The Great Dictator 1939 1941 next previous
The Great Dictator Clippings 146/369
New York Times, New York, October 14, 1940.
HE TALKS!
TONIGHT . . . LAUGH!
World Premiere of
Charlie Chaplin
in his new comedy
The Great DICTATOR (...)
at 8:30 P. M. at both the
ASTOR and CAPITOL Theatres
(...) Ad, Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Oct. 15, 1940
„The nation which can laugh is the nearest to being sane“
Editorial content. „CHAPLIN DISCUSSES
HIS ,DICTATOR‘ FILM
Secrecy in Making of Picture a Guard Against Plagiarism,
Actor Declares Here
SEES SANITY IN LAUGHTER
,Pathos and Great Comedy in Human Suffering‘
if Depicted in Good Taste, He Says
Bubbling with good humor and speaking with a zest
which belied his assertion of being ,a very tired old
man badly in need of a rest,‘ Charlie Chaplin cleared up some
of the mystery that shrouded the making of his new
film, The Great Dictator, during a press interview yesterday
afternoon in the Jansen suit at the Waldorf-Astoria.
The comedian arrived Saturday by plane from Hollywood
to attend the Film‘s premiere tomorrow night.
,Making a comedy is the most lugubrious work there
is,‘ he said. ,I‘ve been at it almost constantly for two
years now, and feel the need for both physical and mental
relaxation.‘ Mr. Chaplin said he has several film plans
in mind, but will spend the next three months vacationing,
mostly in New York, seeing the plays and generally
catching up with the changes that have come over New York
since his last prolonged stay here ten years ago.
The reason why production of The Great Dictator was
clothed in secrecy was simply ,to protect myself,‘
he explained. ,I closed the studio and kept the story secret
because I didn‘t want to risk having some one else
come out with my stuff ahead of me. That‘s happened before,
even in Hollywood,‘ he commented with a smile.
No Protests on Picture
So far, he said, there has been no protests from either
German or Italian officials about the picture, which
is a ,spoof‘ on dictators generally, though more particularly
Hitler and Mussolini. ,We‘ve had some crank letters –
a few,‘ he added. He admitted there had been some question
when the film was first planned two years ago because
of Italy‘s then undetermined position, but he evaded being
drawn into a discussion on this point.
He stoutly denied, however, that he ever had any
,hesitancy from the beginning about releasing the
film‘ and said there was no question in his mind about the
propriety of showing the picture under present
circumstances. ,There is pathos and great comedy in all
human suffering and tragedy,‘ he asserted. ,The
secret lies in how you approach it. It must be done with
discretion and good taste.‘ Thereupon he revealed
that the Gold Rush of 1925 was based on the tragic trek
of the Donner party in 1846.
Humor a Promise of Victory
Man‘s saving grace, in Mr. Chaplin‘s view, always
has been his capacity to laugh even under tragic
circumstances and ,it would be a sad moment if we couldn‘t
laugh now,‘ he continued. ,I believe there is more
promise and sign of victory if we in America can laugh about
them (the Nazis). I‘ve always felt that the nation which
can laugh is the nearest to being sane.‘
Mr. Chaplin said he sneak-previewed The Great Dictator
in Long Beach, Calif., recently, and is convinced from
the audience reaction that there will be no misunderstanding
the intent and purpose of his comedy. Mr. Chaplin,
who herein is making his debut in the ,talkies,‘ said he speaks throughout the picture and that he makes a six-minute
speech near the end.
He would not reveal the nature of the dialogue, other
than to say that it represents what he feels about the world situation
and comes as a natural climax to the story.“
The Great Dictator world premiere is in New York Oct. 15, 1940
at the Capitol and Astor Theatres.
Capitol Theatre, 1645 Broadway (at 51st Street), New York.
Astor Theatre, 1531 Broadway (at 45th Street), New York.
Redaktioneller Inhalt
The Great Dictator 1939 1941 next previous
