In your response, analyse this performance in relation to actor

presence. Focus on what the actor (Chaplin) does to make present this
character.

Presence in performance is the communal experience shared between the

spectator and the stage or screen; an actor constructs their characters
consciousness which they deliver to the audience. In the Globe Scene of
Chaplins The Great Dictator he demonstrates a variety of techniques which
culminate to produce his desired character portrayal of the infamous Nazi leader
Adolf Hitler.
Chaplin developed his character presence with uses of the Brechtian technique
of gestus; his mannerisms demonstrated the emotional and physical detail of his
character. The scene extract begins with Chaplin hanging high up on the curtain
which initially suggests his character somewhat reticent being. It could be
inferred that by depicting this somewhat reclusive action Chaplin wishes to
present a reserved faade to the character in the room with him at the time and
that he doesnt want his great tyrannical insight discovered. On the other hand,
hanging high up on the curtain could also be a physical interpretation of
hierarchy and how Hitler saw himself as the great dictator.
Chaplin also uses his voice as a tool to aid his character presence- he speaks the
words 'my world' in a voice that one would associate with lovesickness as it
carries both affection and longing- he then goes on to make use of the globe as a
main focus of the scene. Chaplin directs his characters interaction with the globe
in a dream like state, and his actions further emphasise this. His actions are light
and delicate, which highly contradict Hitler and his regime which goes on to
highlight that Chaplin wanted to use satire in his character presentation. For
example when he is laid on the desk and he pushes the globe up with his bottom
the spectator is able to acknowledge the airy way it floats up and the satirical
effort in this action as a whole. The globe is an object of fascination and allure for
his character, therefore the significance when it bursts is paramount because not
only does he makes his character have a wide presence, but the globe too and it
is perhaps a bigger presence than his character while it is intact.
An actor holds the power in how a character is presented. Chaplin delivers his
character presence of Adolf Hitler in two ways; his physical appearance is
stereotypical, with his suited up uniform and stern appearance and the iconic
facial features, however his bravado and mannerisms when admiring the globe
project an alternate presence from within; as an actor he drives the creative
process when the awakened instinct chooses spontaneously the tools of its
magic transformation. A living man, the actor, is the creative force behind it all.
(Grotowski, 1968, P 76). Chaplins creative force presents a truly unique
characterization of Adolf Hitler with an alternate presence.
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