Raincoaster's KLASSY MANOR MOVIE NIGHT! It's Right Here! TONIGHT: "The Great Dictator!"

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You've arrived! I heard you had quite the struggle making your way down the red carpet. Those paparazzo just won't leave you be, will they? But luckily, now that you've taken your seat, Raincoaster can signal the projectionist. Tonight's movie, Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator," is ready to unfurl. 

Want to know more about the movie before it starts? This is what our movie mistress Raincoaster has to say: 

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So you want to bring down a dictator, eh?
Restore democracy?
Support a people being maligned and actually slaughtered for their heritage?
Bring prosperity back?
Uplift the downtrodden?
How you planning on doing all that, my friend?

By way of comedy, you say??? 
Eh, I’ll have what you’re drinking; it must be pretty strong.

But in 1940, that’s what one man tried to do. Well, one man, a million dollars, dozens of supporting players and crew members, and United Artists, which this particular artist had started with his friends so they didn’t have to take orders from Big Fillum.He started the script six days after England entered the Second World War. To take down the man born four days after himself, a man whose facial hair choices echoed his own (and may well have been inspired by them). A man named Adolf Hitler. Here's a preview: 


Did it work?

Well, it was a nearly worldwide hit (though Germany, Italy, and Japan didn’t seem to care for it). It made $5 million. President Roosevelt liked it so much that he invited the star to deliver the final speech, one of the most famous in film history, as part of his own Presidential inauguration ceremony, and that, also, was a hit. It’s still being studied, watched, appreciated, and enjoyed 85 years later.

It also made some powerful enemies in some powerful institutions, including the FBI. And it was banned in Chicago and several other American cities in order to avoid offending the German immigrant population. Ultimately, the powerful enemies he made (and a penchant for barebacking 16-year-olds, it must be said) led to the star’s exile to Switzerland after being blacklisted as a communist and a pervert.

For what it’s worth, Adolf Hitler also hated it.

It is, of course, "The Great Dictator," and it is Charlie Chaplin’s greatest masterpiece; that’s a word not often applied to comedy, a field which contains several Adam Sandler films for every Shakespeare. But a masterpiece it is, and the final speech, which I will not spoil although you may if you like by following this link, is considered one of the greatest ever delivered on film.

So much for the historical background. The story is a variation on "The Prince and the Pauper," but in this case the pauper is played in Little Tramp persona by Charlie Chaplin, and he’s a Jewish barber from the ghetto. The Prince is Adenoid Hynkel, also played by Charlie Chaplin. Who is at one point overcome by a pot of English mustard, and I, for one, love a good allegory.

Get a box of tissues or a fine linen handkerchief, a glass of something restorative, and get ready for one of the greatest anti-fascist films every made.


Also, hottie, amirite? Je mehr sich die Dinge ändern...

Yours,
Raincoaster

***

A few technical notes. The video below is ready for you to press play at any time - if you want to test it out, for instance. Also, you can cast the movie to your TV, or expand it on your computer or laptop to fill your screen. If the image seems fuzzy at first, give it a sec: your internet connection is just catching up. 

To watch the movie with everyone tonight at 9PM EST, wait till you see Raincoaster in the comments below giving you a countdown at that time. That way we'll all be in sync! And of course, comment, discuss and giggle all you like in the comments. 

Have you popcorn or snacks ready? Awesome. Enjoy the show, sluts!


Photo Credits: Getty Images via Wikipedia

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