Marion Cotillard’s Favorite Movie Scores 4.5/5 – A True Masterpiece Unveiled!

What movie would you choose if you had access to the entire Criterion catalog? For Marion Cotillard, the answer, despite the challenge of choosing just one, was “The Dictator”.

During a visit to New York in September 2025, especially to promote The Morning Show, the actress participated in the Criterion Closet. This video series invites artists to explore the publisher’s archives, select films, and discuss their connections to these works.

The Film That Moves Her Every Time

In front of Chaplin’s classic, Marion Cotillard struggles to hold back her emotions:

“This is truly my favorite film, even though it’s hard to pick just one. It’s the most humane of all films. It’s the most intelligent and touching film I’ve ever seen. And every time I watch it, I’m moved in the same way, even though I know the story and the lines by heart. I think the last line of this film is ‘Listen.’ Just talking about it makes me cry. It’s THE masterpiece of masterpieces.“

From Childhood Memories to Cinematic Discoveries

Her visit to the Criterion wasn’t just about Chaplin. The actress also lingered on Fanfan la Tulipe, a film by Christian-Jaque featuring Gérard Philipe and Gina Lollobrigida. A choice that brings her back to family movie nights: “I can’t even count how many times I’ve watched this film with my two brothers,” she shares, adding, “It’s the movie of my childhood… I fell in love with Gérard Philipe when I was little.“

She also picked an anthology dedicated to Agnès Varda, as well as Hedwig & the Angry Inch, which she discovered at the American Film Festival in Deauville while serving on the jury.

Why The Dictator Remains So Powerful

When Chaplin began writing “The Dictator” in 1938, he embarked on a project different from his previous sound films, City Lights and Modern Times: it would be his first full-length talking feature, built around dialogues. Filming started on September 9, 1939, just days after the invasion of Poland and the onset of World War II by France and the United Kingdom.

On screen, the filmmaker mocks Hitler and his entourage. Henry Daniell plays Garbitsch, inspired by Goebbels, Billy Gilbert portrays Herring, a caricature of Göring, and Jack Oakie is Benzino Napaloni, a character reminiscent of Mussolini. Chaplin mixes slapstick, as seen in the famous globe scene, with a final appeal for freedom and tolerance. A blend of humor and humanity that, for Marion Cotillard, retains all its strength.

To discover or revisit Marion Cotillard’s favorite film, The Dictator is available on VOD.