Star of the silent & talkies!

The Dictator (1940, B/W)
Acted, written, music and directed by: Charlie Chaplin
I always thought Charlie Chaplin only acted in silent movies. Obviously, I was wrong. Here, he stars in a dual role. It is actually a satire of Adolf Hitler. At the time of production and well anticipated time of screening, it was considered controversial as US had no bad blood with Germany and was not even involved in WW2 yet. It is interesting to note that years before the the end of Hitler's megalomaniac ambitions, these events and persecution of Jews are shown here. Of course, the non-believers of the existence of holocaust will say it is actually an orchestration by the Jews and Hollywood even before the world was at war!

Absent minded barber shaving
the whiskers of lady!

Chaplin stars in dual role, in a way, to show off to the world of his his ability to  act in two worlds, the silent and the talkies. In the role of a Jewish barber (unnamed), he shows off his slapstick type of acting and comedy, as the The Tramp, with cane, over sized shoes and ill-fitting suit. As the dictator, he exhibits his oratory skills and perhaps his political affiliations! As we know this Englishman surrendered his American citizenship after being accused of being a communist in the McCarthy era.
Chaplin is a soldier in the tail end of the First World War. A Jewish barber in civilian life, he is a bumbling soldier but manages to saves a commander (Schulz) in the war but gets a concussion and is hospitalised for a long time after the war

During his hospitalisation, his country, Tomainia,  is ruled by a despot, Adenoids Hynkel, who is out to make a blond blue eyed nation and harbours plans to be the Dictator of the world! Incidentally, Adenoid Hynkel looks a carbon copy of the barber.

Hynkel, who talks incessantly with no full stops in a language which sounds very much like adulterated German is assisted by Garbisch (sounds like garbage), the Minister of Propaganda and Herring, the War Minister.
Meanwhile, the amnesiac barber walks out of the hospital one day to resume his civilian duties, having no recollection of the war he was involved and the changes in the country where Jews are prosecuted.
The soldiers, the storm troopers, harass the people of his ghetto until Schultz comes to his rescue. He is given immunity by Schultz as token for saving his life in war.

Rare picture of 5'5"Chaplin & 5'3" Gandhi

Certain turns of events make Schultz be accused of undermining Hynkel and is imprisoned.
Meanwhile, Hynkel makes plans to attack his neighbouring country, Osterlich. His ally in war, the dictator of Bacteria, Benzino Napaloni (obvious reference to Benito Mussolini of Italy) visits him.
This starts a show of might by both dictators with comical results.
It continues with Schultz escaping from prison, being a fugitive on the run with the barber. Then there is switch of role during a duck hunting accident and escape from concentration camp that the barber becomes Hynkel. He ends the war with Osterlich, frees Jews from persecution in a lengthy classic address on the state radio pleading for hope for mankind.