Chaplin wanted to address the escalating violence and repression of Jews by the Nazis throughout the late 1930s, the magnitude of which was conveyed to him personally by his European Jewish friends and fellow artists. Nazi Germany's repressive nature and militarist tendencies were well known at the time. Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 To Be or Not To Be dealt with similar themes, and also used a mistaken-identity Hitler figure. But Chaplin later said that he would not have made the film had he known of the true extent of the Nazis' crimes. After the horror of the Holocaust became known, filmmakers struggled for nearly 20 years to find the right angle and tone to satirize the era.
chaplin wanted to address the escalating violence and repression of jews by the nazis throughout the late 1930s the magnitude of which was conveyed to him personally by his european jewish friends and fellow artists nazi germany's repressive nature and militarist tendencies were well known at the time ernst lubitsch's 1942 to be or not to be dealt with similar themes and also used a mistaken-identity hitler figure but chaplin later said that he would not have made the film had he known of the true extent of the nazis' crimes after the horror of the holocaust became known filmmakers struggled for nearly 20 years to find the right angle and tone to satirize the era