I recently read some comments on a new movie made by Quentin Tarentino set during WWII. The comment had to do with the fact that while there's no shortage of evil villains in this world, the Nazis are always the only target of cinematic aggression. While I believe there's good reason for this, I can't condone torture of anyone, cinematic or otherwise. This is why an old classic proved a good alternative.
I looked up a few facts and found out this was controversial in its day, as the US was not yet at war with Nazi Germany. To be fair, Chaplin had reason to know a little extra on Hitler. The guy ripped off his mustache and claimed to be a fan of the Tramp. Chaplin's response, in movie form? "The Tramp's Jewish, and you're an idiot."
This movie has serious overtones and undertones obviously, but the satire, slapstick and verbal humor are brilliant. Chaplin proved himself, with his first talkie, to be an all around comic genious. He was mad, and this thinly veiled comic autobiographical rant doesn't try to hide it, but that doesn't overshadow the quality of the movie. Even the speech at the end seems to take Hitler's public speaking stlye and turn it on its head. And that's what works with the best Chaplin movies. In the midst of a lot of crazy antics, there's a lot of heart.
I'll part with my favorite line.
"I thought you were an Aryan."
"Actually, I'm a vegetarian."
No comments:
Post a Comment