As part of their Arts4Freedom programming, Holland Zeeland Indivisible is pleased to host two classic films in Holland in September: Inherit the Wind and The Great Dictator.

The Great Dictator, written, directed, produced by, and starring Charlie Chaplin

Historian Janis Gibbs, professor of history at Hope College, and dramatist Norman Bert, professor emeritus of theatre at Texas Tech University, will provide commentary.

The Great  Dictator, a 1941 Oscar nominee for Best Picture, stars Paulette Gaddard with Chaplin. It’s a brilliant satire, both comic and pointed. About it, Roger Ebert said, "Chaplin's... portrait of Adenoid Hynkel, dictator of Tomania, was among the first declarations of war on Hitler….. This is Chaplin’s most serious, most tragic, most human work. He did not find Hitler at all funny, needless to say, and so although he uses his own comic genius to inspire the movie, the comedy is never neutral. It is jugular…." 

Admission is free; a cash bar and popcorn will be available.

Holland Zeeland Indivisible, Out on the Lakeshore, the Hope College History Department, In Memory of Luke Silvasi, and others. Maggie Einhaus, project lead for the film screenings, says, “We’ve selected these films for their timeless relevance. We hope people will come ready to be both entertained and intrigued!”

Arts4Freedom is designed to give voice through the arts to people of all ages to celebrate the experiences, cultures, and identities that shape the fabric of our nation. Free expression and independent thinking are both core to our American experience: We elevate both through this series of events.