Lists
- ranked 37 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs
- ranked 93 in The IMDb Top 250
- ranked 255 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (August 2005)
- ranked 277 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (March 2006)
- ranked 280 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (December 2006)
- one of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs Nominees
- one of Guardian 1,000 films to see before you die
- one of The New York Times Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made
Look up, Hannah. Look up!
Strange blend of typical Chaplin physical humour, heavy-handed satire, and self-righteous preaching. But it works. It really works.
Without the self-righteousness it would be nothing more than a clumsy parody of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, ultimately trivializing the atrocities of that regime. Without the humour it would be nothing more than Yet Another Hollywood Actor inflicing his poltics upon a captive audience. But when the barber stands on that podium and gives his speech to the soldiers -- when Charles Chaplin stands on that screen and gives his speech to the world -- it is inspiring, and glorious. It transcends the sum of its parts.
And it's also hilarious, incidentally. If you don't want the politics, just turn it off ten minutes from the end...