Page "Charlie Chaplin" Paragraph 51

The 1940s saw Chaplin face a series of controversies, both in his work and his personal life, which changed his fortunes and severely affected his popularity in America.

The first of these was a new boldness in expressing his political beliefs.

Deeply disturbed by the surge of militaristic nationalism in 1930s world politics, Chaplin found that he could not keep these issues out of his work: " How could I throw myself into feminine whimsy or think of romance or the problems of love when madness was being stirred up by a hideous grotesque, Adolf Hitler?

" He chose to make The Great Dictator — a " satirical attack on fascism " and his " most overtly political film ".

There were strong parallels between Chaplin and the German dictator, having been born four days apart and raised in similar circumstances.

It was widely noted that Hitler wore the same toothbrush moustache as the Tramp, and it was this physical resemblance that formed the basis of Chaplin's story.