Join BECTU for a special screening of Charlie Chaplin’s film, The Great Dictator (1940).
In this, Chaplin’s first picture with sound and his most commercially successful, he plays both Adenoid Hynkel, leader of Tomania and a Jewish barber who gets caught up in a rebellion against Hynkel’s fascist regime. Released in 1940, Chaplin said later that he would not have made comedy of such events had he known the full extent of the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis. Nonetheless, Chaplin’s revenge on Hitler for stealing his trademark moustache hits its mark: the film’s skewering of the vanity and paranoia of demagogues is timeless and the closing speech, a plea for democracy, tolerance and hope, is legendary.
Why this film? We think it has real historical significance in the light of worrying trends in politics today.
Written, directed, and produced by Chaplin, the film also stars Paulette Goddard, his then wife.
More about the evening:
The Cinema Museum is housed in the building that was once a Victorian workhouse where the British comedian spent part of his poverty-stricken childhood. There is an added bonus for earlybirds, as the venue’s volunteers will lead two 20-minute museum tours ahead of the screening. The unique collection of memorabilia includes a striking metal sculpture: a silhouette of Chaplin that hangs from the roof of the main hall. We encourage visitors to join one of the tours and to support the venue in its struggle to persuade South London & Maudsley NHS Trust not to sell the building to the highest bidder.
The evening’s running order is as follows :
- 18.00 – doors open
- 18.10 – first tour
- 18.30 – second tour
- 19.00 – introduction to the film
- 19.10 – film starts
- 21.15 – drinks and networking
- 22.00 – event ends
Refreshments will be available in our licensed cafe/bar.
TICKETS & PRICING
Tickets £7 for BECTU and Prospect members, £9.97 for non-members (includes booking fee).
Advance tickets may be purchased from Eventbrite.
