The Great Dictator Movie and The Means of Satire Against Nazis

Examples of Satire in “The Great Dictator”

There are many rich examples of satire throughout the movie, “The Great Dictator”. As a whole, the movie satirizes the Nazis and their fantasies of world domination and power. The satirical tone that carries throughout the movie is greatly contributed to its humorous depiction of not only the Nazis but the entire Axis regime. Everything from their behavior to their dress is satirized in some manner. From the opening scene to the final speech, the movie provides an almost constant comic relief because of its astute use of satire.

A superb example of satire is found in a scene involving the two Axis leaders, Hynkel and Napolini. In this scene, Hynkel has invited Napolini to get a haircut with him at his personal barber shop. They both sit down into their chairs and Hynkel raises his chair with the intention of rising above Napolini. After a moment, Napolini does the same and raises his chair. They continue to raise their chairs until Hynkel’s chair reaches the ceiling of the barber shop. He then abruptly falls back to the floor and Napolini still towers over him.

This scene satirizes how each Axis leader during World War II wanted to be arbiter of the Axis powers. This revelry between leaders was perfectly exemplified in this scene. Before the war, Mussolini was the forerunner of the Axis powers. During the War, Hitler rose to take Mussolini’s notoriety. Each leader would attempt to oust the other leader by means of occupying another country or increasing their military’s potency. Every Axis leader during World War II had strong aspirations to be at the center stage of the Axis powers and be in complete control of its strength.

The end of the scene, when Hynkel crashes back to the floor of the barber shop, may possess a deeper meaning. Since Hitler was a great threat to the Allies during World War II, this may have been a subtle allied propaganda effort. Hitler, like other Axis leaders, was in the pursuit of world domination and unlike other Axis leaders he had the means to achieve it. He was in control of a large army containing over 18 million soldiers and had already captured over half of Europe. The end of this scene implied that even though Hitler may have been a powerful and dangerous man, he would never be able to grasp his dreams of world domination. He would eventually fall down from his throne, just as Hynkel fell from the ceiling and down to the floor.

Two other scenes throughout the course of the movie also satirize Hynkel’s yearning to outdo the other Axis leaders. Hitler and his comic counterpart, Hynkel, both had a great fascination with the new “wonder weapons” with which their weapons design bureaus could fabricate. These “war winning” weapons would give Hitler a great chance of being on the forefront of the Axis powers and succeed in his pursuit to obtain world domination. Although these groundbreaking designs seemed practical and foolproof on paper, this was not always the case when it became time to put the designs to the test. Many times these designs would result in failure and would be succeeded by more advanced technologies.

This is satirized and presented as mere interruptions in Hynkel’s meticulous daily schedule. The designs which are presented to Hynkel include a bullet-proof suit and a hat parachute, which both seemingly result in failure. These failed tests result in the death or injury of two scientists which Hynkel immediately dismisses and forgets about. These scenes not only satirize Hitler’s desire for power but also his reckless disdain for his constituents and his people.

In conclusion, the scenes that were discussed satirize, as a whole, how Hitler always wanted more than he had. He was always looking for greater power, whether that be a larger army or a new invention that the Allies or his fellow Axis leaders did not possess. Just like Hynkel, Hitler always wanted to be seen as more preeminent than his cohorts and he would do anything to fulfill that delusion.