by CHRIS BARRY

When it was originally released in 1940, The Great Dictator was not generally considered to be Chaplin’s finest moment. Fresh on the heels of his undisputed masterpiece Modern Times, many critics complained that Chaplin’s scathing condemnation of fascism was not only painfully heavy handed, but simply not that funny - by Little Tramp standards, at least.

And while it’s true The Great Dictator is not quite the laugh fest some might expect from Chaplin, it’s certainly comical and easily ranks among the most powerful anti-war films to ever come out of Hollywood.

Now, as we all gear up to enjoy George W’s inevitable pummelling of Iraq on our TV screens, a “new and improved” print of Chaplin’s first talkie has been released.

Chuck plays two characters here, the first being the film’s hero, a Jewish barber who has been lying unconscious in the hospital for the past 20 years, and who recovers just in time to experience all the splendour of the impending Holocaust. Not quite hip yet to the wacky Nazi groove thing and his new role in society as human vermin, he rubs more than a few Stormtroopers the wrong way but manages to survive and win the heart of luscious Ghetto resident Paulette Goddard in the process.

In his second role, Chaplin delivers a singularly brilliant send-up of Adolf Hitler, cleverly lampooning the cute little Austrian’s fiery speeches and aspirations to rule a world full of good-looking blue-eyed blond Aryans - a threat, obviously, that was only too real at the time the film was made.

Though arguably not the funniest of Chaplin’s films, The Great Dictator still offers moments of sheer comic genius, and, in hindsight, may well stand as the most profound work of his career. As for the enhanced viewing experience that the new print is supposed to deliver, don’t get too excited, the quality didn’t strike me as being any better than the print I first saw of this film way back in high school. But really, when you’re talking about a film of this calibre, who cares if the images on screen aren’t as crisp as the latest Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster? :

The Great Dictator opens Friday, Jan. 24

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