Friday, January 18, 2013

When Chaplin Spoke

Here is the iconic speech from Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece, The Great Dictator. The film was made in 1940, so the historical context (as well as the mustache) is obvious.  (For those of you who may not have seen it, the speaker, Omler -- a lowly barber --  is a look-alike of the Hitler-like dictator, Adenoid Hynkel. Omler has decided to step out of the dictatorial role into which he has been forced by odd and comic circumstances.)  A friend of mine posted a similar video on Facebook the other day, reminding me of the greatness of the film. I'm not saying it brought tears to my eyes or anything...



I'm not sure if this makes me emotional because I believe in its hope or because I have no hope left. But I am sure it makes me emotional because it is pure, honest and powerful art.



Or, maybe it affects me so deeply because I envy those with a belief that we will ever really make things better. Yeah. I think that's it.

(Note: The music is not from the original film; it was dubbed-in and it is from Hans Zimmer's score to the film Inception; it is called "Time.")

4 comments:

  1. I am a chaplain that got a hit for this site because it has the word "chaplain" in it. Even though it is not what I was searching for I was glad I stopped by. I love your graphic and theme to your blog its got whimsy. :)

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    1. However coincidental, I'm glad you found my site, sir! Thanks for the kind words about the site. I hope to see you again. The perspective of a man of God is always welcome, as I do often write about spiritual issues and morality. Again, thanks for commenting.

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    1. You are most welcome. I'm always thankful for our having had artists like Chaplin among us.

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