Charlie Chaplin: The Greatest Speech Ever Made

From the Wikipedia entry for Charlie Chaplin and his film "The Great Dictator" from which this speech is taken and overlayed with new imagery:

The 1940s saw Chaplin face a series of controversies, both in his work and his personal life, which changed his fortunes and severely affected his popularity in America. The first of these was a new boldness in expressing his political beliefs. Deeply disturbed by the surge of militaristic nationalism in 1930s world politics,[223] Chaplin found that he could not keep these issues out of his work: "How could I throw myself into feminine whimsy or think of romance or the problems of love when madness was being stirred up by a hideous grotesque, Adolf Hitler?"[224] He chose to make The Great Dictator—a "satirical attack on fascism" and his "most overtly political film".[225] There were strong parallels between Chaplin and the German dictator, having been born four days apart and raised in similar circumstances. It was widely noted that Hitler wore the same toothbrush moustache as the Tramp, and it was this physical resemblance that formed the basis of Chaplin's story.[226]

 Chaplin spent two years developing the script,[227] and began filming in September 1939.[228] He had submitted to using spoken dialogue, partly out of acceptance that he had no other choice but also because he recognised it as a better method for delivering a political message.[229] Making a comedy about Hitler was seen as highly controversial, but Chaplin's financial independence allowed him to take the risk.[230] "I was determined to go ahead," he later wrote, "for Hitler must be laughed at."[231][note 8] Chaplin replaced the Tramp (while wearing similar attire) with "A Jewish Barber", a reference to the Nazi party's belief that the star was a Jew.[note 9] In a dual performance he also plays the dictator "Adenoid Hynkle", a parody of Hitler which Maland sees as revealing the "megalomania, narcissism, compulsion to dominate, and disregard for human life" of the German dictator.[233]

 The Great Dictator spent a year in production, and was released in October 1940.[234] There was a vast amount of publicity around the film, with a critic for the New York Times calling it "the most eagerly awaited picture of the year", and it was one of the biggest money-makers of the era.[235] The response from critics was less enthusiastic. Although most agreed that it was a brave and worthy film, many considered the ending inappropriate.[236] Chaplin concluded the film with a six-minute[237] speech in which he looked straight at the camera and professed his personal beliefs.[238] The monologue drew significant debate for its overt preaching and continues to attract attention to this day.[239] Maland has identified it as triggering Chaplin's decline in popularity, and writes, "Henceforth, no movie fan would ever be able to separate the dimension of politics from the star image of Charles Spencer Chaplin."[240] The Great Dictator received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor.[241]