The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin’s most influential work, is a deeply humanistic piece of cinematic art. The ruthless sarcasm and ingenious clowning, which Chaplin uses as he plays both the little barber and the great dictator, relieved millions of their anxieties. His unforgettable accessories, the moustache, the shoes, and the bowler hat along with his gestures have all imprinted themselves onto our minds.
Schedule
The story takes place just before WW2, in a time when poverty and madness reached a level like never before. The faith in humanity and freedom had failed. It was on the advice of Hungarian born film director and producer Alexander Korda, that Chaplin started working on The Great Dictator . The film follows the development of Hitler’s Reich and the hardships the Jews had to endure, up until the occupation of Austria.
Later in his life Chaplin said: „Had I known at the time of the horrors of the German concentration camps, I wouldn’t have made The Great Dictator , I wouldn’t have made a joke out of the murderous lunacy of the Nazis.”
Vígszínház
The Vígszínház is one of the most historic and popular theatres in Budapest. Its three venues (the Main Stage, the House Stage Studio and Chamber, the Pest Theatre) have a total of more than 1700 seats. The theatre is also known as the cradle of modern Hungarian bourgeois drama, with famous authors such as Jenő Heltai, Sándor Bródy, Dezső Szomory, Menyhért Lengyel, Ernő Szép, Sándor Hunyady, Ferenc Herczeg, and others. In the 21st century, the majority of the world's theatres with large auditoriums have lost a good part of their audience. Despite this trend, the premieres of the Vígszínház are successful, and its performances are well attended. The theatre is located on the Újlipótváros side of Szent István körút in Budapest.
