That mentioned, that is an inherently democratic checklist, which implies we’re not together with films the place a foul king loses, solely to get replaced by a “good” king. So which means you received’t see The Return of the King or The Lion King, no model of Robin Hood and completely, positively no Dune.
And in the spirit of democracy, be happy to point out any films we missed in the feedback. In any case, not even the author of this text desires to lord over others, however would fairly construct a group with others.
The Great Dictator (1940)
As the identify suggests, the king in query on this 1940 Charlie Chaplin traditional The Great Dictator is a dictator, specifically Tomainian ruler Adenoid Hynkel (Chaplin). As Hynkel builds his large army empire, a barber (additionally Chaplin) offers with trauma from World Warfare I whereas dwelling in a Jewish ghetto ruled by his wartime ally Schultz (Reginald Gardiner). As Schultz earns the ire of Hynkel, the barber will get drawn into the bigger political milieu, main to the film’s most well-known scene. At Schultz’s urging, the barber, disguised as the dictator, pretends to by Hynkel and addresses the crowd.
The barber’s speech urging for peace and human connection throughout borders was as inspirational because it was shocking. By 1940, speaking footage had dominated Hollywood for greater than a decade, however Chaplin had been a silent holdout, making his spoken strains a shift for the actor. Chaplin was additionally a public anti-war crusader (regardless of agreeing to make the patriotic movie Shoulder Arms (1918), and his phrases carried extra energy as Hitler and Mussolini waged struggle throughout Europe. Lastly, there’s the darkish reversal of The Great Dictator, through which Hynkel himself will get mistaken for the barber and despatched to a focus camp, a bleak, however mockingly becoming, finish.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz doesn’t have a correct king, however it does haven’t one, not two, however three dangerous leaders who get deposed over the course of the classical musical. The primary, after all, is the Depraved Witch of the East, who dies in a housing disaster. The second is the Depraved Witch of the West, who shares the identical weak spot as the aliens from Indicators.
The third, after all, is the Wizard himself, who insists that he’s an excellent man, regardless of working as a despot in the Emerald Metropolis. So when Dorothy and her coalition of rebels lastly problem him, the Wizard repents and decides to be a part of them, stepping away from being a monarch. Certain, he pronounces the Scarecrow as a brand new “ruler,” which does bump towards our guidelines towards films through which kings exchange kings, however we’ll let that slide, hoping that Scarecrow discovered a lesson about the energy of the individuals whereas paling round along with his associates.