40 Best Comedy Movies On HBO Max

The enduring image of Charlie Chaplin is that of his character the Tramp, a down-on-his-luck man floating through life. Chaplin played the Tramp so effectively and hilariously that he was the biggest movie star of the silent film era, but by 1940, he was a powerful filmmaker shaping the artistry of film. That year, he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in "The Great Dictator," an audacious and incendiary satirical comedy that took aim at then-fuhrer Adolf Hitler, the other well-known individual to sport a toothbrush mustache.

In "The Great Dictator" (Chaplin's only film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture), Chaplin plays Adenoid Hynkel, fascist dictator of Tomania. He's evil, anti-Semitic, and dangerous, although the film ridicules him, showing him dancing around with a globe as a partner (indicating his need for world domination). In a dual role, Chaplin plays a Jewish barber and Hynkel's lookalike, who uses his resemblance to lead a resistance.

• Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie
• Director: Charlie Chaplin
• Year: 1940
• Runtime: 128 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%