Maps of Movies

The Great Dictator (1940)

Where The Great Dictator says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The nations on screen are invented; the only real places are a Los Angeles studio and a canyon that played the Western Front

Scenes and places

The trench war and the crashed plane (1918)

A Jewish soldier of Tomainia saves a wounded pilot, Commander Schultz, who carries valuable documents. Out of fuel, their plane crashes into a tree, and the soldier is left with memory loss.

Set in Western Front, 1918 — A trench battlefield of the 1918 war, where a plane runs out of fuel and crashes into a tree.

Laurel Canyon is a neighbourhood of Los Angeles.

Filmed at Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles — Chaplin built the elaborate First World War scenes here; the neighbourhood centre is given, the exact spot is not. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: A residential neighbourhood in Los Angeles; there is no marked filming site.

The soldier who lost his memory

Schultz learns that Tomainia has surrendered, while the soldier is carried off to a hospital. He is still suffering from amnesia twenty years later.

Set in Military hospital — Tomainia has surrendered, and the soldier who cannot remember who he is is carried off to a hospital.

An invented hospital in Tomainia; no filming location is documented.

Hynkel's rally speech

Hynkel, dictator of Tomainia, fires up a rally with a speech of German-sounding gibberish. Chaplin studied Hitler's newsreels closely to mimic the manner.

Set in Tomainian capital, public rally — The dictator Adenoid Hynkel addresses a crowd in German-sounding gibberish, a caricature of Hitler's oratory.

The San Fernando Valley is the large suburban area north of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Filmed at San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles — Chaplin shot the speech on location in the valley, but could not use any of that footage; where the finished scene was shot is not documented. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: A broad suburban basin north of Hollywood; no specific site is named.

The barber returns to the ghetto

Still suffering from amnesia, the barber reopens his shop in the ghetto. He falls in love with a neighbour, Hannah, and tries to resist the storm troopers.

Set in Jewish ghetto, Tomainia — The soldier returns to his old trade as a barber in a ghetto, and falls in love with a neighbour, Hannah.

Charlie Chaplin Studios is a film studio lot in Hollywood.

Filmed at Charlie Chaplin Studios, Hollywood — Most of the film was shot on Chaplin's own studio lot; the ghetto street as a studio set is inferred from that general statement. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: A studio lot in Hollywood; the exact set locations are not documented.

Hynkel's palace

Hynkel wants money for his army and tries to borrow it from a Jewish banker, which briefly eases the pressure on the ghetto. When the banker refuses, he orders a purge.

Set in Hynkel's palace — Inside the Tomainian palace, Hynkel needs money to finance his ever-growing military forces.

Charlie Chaplin Studios is a film studio lot in Hollywood.

Filmed at Charlie Chaplin Studios, Hollywood — Most of the film was shot on Chaplin's own studio lot; the palace as a studio set is inferred from that general statement. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: A studio lot in Hollywood; the exact set locations are not documented.

The concentration camp

After a failed hiding place in the ghetto, Schultz and the barber are arrested and sent to a concentration camp. Hannah's family flees abroad.

Set in Concentration camp — Troops search the ghetto and send Schultz and the barber to a concentration camp.

An invented camp in Tomainia; no filming location is documented.

The vineyard in Osterlich

Hannah and her family escape to a vineyard in the neighbouring country of Osterlich.

Set in Vineyard in Osterlich — Hannah and her family flee to freedom at a vineyard in the neighbouring country of Osterlich.

An invented country; no filming location is documented.

Hynkel meets Napaloni

Hynkel and Napaloni argue over which country should invade Osterlich. The quarrel turns into a food fight until both men eat the hot mustard.

Set in Hynkel's palace, banquet hall — Hynkel and Benzino Napaloni, dictator of Bacteria, argue over a treaty at an elaborate buffet, and the quarrel ends in a food fight.

Charlie Chaplin Studios is a film studio lot in Hollywood.

Filmed at Charlie Chaplin Studios, Hollywood — Most of the film was shot on Chaplin's own studio lot; the buffet as a studio set is inferred from that general statement. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: A studio lot in Hollywood; the exact set locations are not documented.

Characters

• The Jewish Barber — A Jewish soldier of Tomainia who loses his memory in the First World War and returns to his old barbershop in the ghetto.
• Adenoid Hynkel — A dictator of Tomainia, a caricature of Hitler, set on war and persecution.
• Hannah — A neighbour of the barber in the ghetto, who resists the persecution with him.
• Benzino Napaloni — The boastful dictator of the neighbouring state of Bacteria.

Questions answered on the map

• Where was the First World War of The Great Dictator really filmed?
• Where were Hynkel's palace and the ghetto really built?