"Victims of a system that makes men torture..."

I'm a little embarrassed to post this clip. A lot of people think that this snippet of film constitutes one of the most maudlin and overwrought moments in the history of cinema. Maybe they're right. Yet I can't watch this damned thing without moistened eyes.

This is the final speech from Chaplin's The Great Dictator. If you've never seen the film, here's the gist: Chaplin plays both Adenoid Hynkel (Hitler) and a Jewish barber. They look alike. In the end, the barber -- through a complex series of events -- is mistaken for the dictator, and must give a speech in the "Hynkel" persona. (I always loved that well-mannered nod he gives to the Seig Hiel-er as he takes the podium.) Of course, what the barber has to say does not resemble anything the tyrant would say.

In truth, the speaker is neither the despot nor the prole: It's Chaplin himself, stepping out of character to address the world on the eve of World War II. He really seems to possess the naive belief that he can prevent the coming calamity -- if only he can find the right words.

At the time, lots of people searched for those words. They all failed.

The important point is that Chaplin tried. He sincerely thought that an appeal to reason could prevent catastrophe, and there was more honor in his naivete than in our cynicism. That's why I've always admired this "maudlin and overwrought" speech -- a speech which, once again, seems all too relevant.

Chaplin shows us our duty: We must all search for the words which will change the hearts of men and restore our ideals. Yes, he failed. You may succeed.