When Charlie Chaplin played Hitler

Charlie Chaplin's film "The Great Dictator" takes not only a remarkably humorous but also in-depth approach to National Socialism. The British silent film master managed to capture the Führer's mannerisms in a bitingly ironic but also elegant way. The film appeared in 1940, just one year after the start of World War II.

"The Great Dictator" was one of the comic actor's greatest works. It also plays a central role in the new book "The Charlie Chaplin Archives," whose editor Paul Duncan had full access to all archives that contain material on Chaplin. The images in the book are particularly impressive, including this excerpt from the film "The Circus" (1928).

As in "The Great Dictator," mixing humor with tragedy was one of Chaplin's trademarks. In his international hit "The Gold Rush" (1925), viewers watch a man nearly starve - but still have plenty to laugh at. Chaplin's ability to draw from both ends of the spectrum contributed to his great success.

"The Charlie Chaplin Archives" explains just how much went into the films that appear so light and carefree. Chaplin's private life is also addressed in the book. He was married to actress Paulette Godard, pictured here with him on the set of "Modern Times" (1936).

Chaplin's work has been extensively distributed - not only in cinemas, but also in images, posters, books and comics. His most famous role was as the "Tramp" - one of the most significant figures in the cultural history of the 20th century.

From the very beginning, the "Tramp" was one of Chaplin's most popular characters. But Chaplin wasn't one to glorify the simple life. Looking back on his career, he once said that instead of learning from poverty, it twisted his values and gave him an unrealistic impression of life.

Charlie Chaplin began his career in the age of silent films and became one of the genre's most famous artists. The transition to sound was challenging for him. "The Great Dictator" was a wonderful example of his speaking talent, but he wasn't always quite so refined. One of his later works, "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) was slammed by critics.

Beauty is what he's after, Chaplin often said. The book's editor Paul Duncan called his introduction "Searching for beauty." Issued by German publishing house "Taschen," "The Charlie Chaplin Archives" is available in English.