Rise & Fall of Adolf Hitler (6pc)

A component of the production that disappoints, however, irregularly displays Hitler's citations between segments, accompanied by disharmonic music. The point is here perhaps too heavy-handed, even trite, in an age today when so many are desensitized through overexposure to Nazi rhetoric. The intent of these citations thus falls flat. Another unfortunate though common misjudgment in this English-language edition of the A&E production is the failure to translate Nazi concepts, imbuing them with a mystical feel that is totally absent in a German-language context. To an English-speaker's ears, such terms as Fuehrer, Lebensraum, and Einsatztruppen seem abstract, even magical. It would be helpful if producers of Nazi-era histories could show how concrete, how base, such terms really are: Fuehrer means simply "leader"; Lebensraum, "room to live"; Einsatztruppen, "commandos." Nazism is not a high-brow ideology, and there is no need to enhance National Socialism by inadvertently mystifying it this way.

These shortcomings do not dominate, however, and ZDF and A&E's huge effort at integrating oral history with film footage is praiseworthy. Enhanced with rare color footage and compelling interviews of those closest to Hitler, this biography is truly something unusual among hundreds of otherwise similar Hitler biographies. An informed recommendation for any history or psychology buff. --Erik J. Macki

Description
" He was a failed artist whose love of beauty turned into a hunger for destruction. A marginal soldier who became the commander of one of the most horrific war machines ever unleashed. Volume I: The Private Man Adolf Hitleris youth was marked by failure. A poor student, he never finished high school. He turned to art, but was twice rejected by the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts for lack of talent. At his lowest, he lived off an orphanis pension and stayed in a hostel. Volume II: The Seducer There is no doubt that Hitleris greatest gift as a leader was his ability to influence the masses. His speeches were delivered with an intensity and fervor that demanded belief. He captivated people by playing on their emotions and by providing a spectacle of power in a nation drained by its defeat in World War 1. Volume III: The Blackmailer By the mid-1930is, Hitler had control of Germany and began to look beyond its borders. He presented himself to the world as an iAngel of Peacei who merely wanted to rid his nation of the oppressive restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles. In truth, he wanted to dominate Europe by force. Volume IV: The Dictator Rarely has one man held such power as Adolf Hitler. His armed forces were by far the most destructive ever assembled. He alone determined the broad objectives and policies of a government that controlled every aspect of the German peopleis lives. Volume V: The Commander From the very beginning, Hitleris ultimate vision was for a iJew Free Great German Empire.i To accomplish this, he would have to subjugate Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals. His fanaticism allowed for no compromise. Volume VI: The Criminal In the end, Hitleris legacy is reduced to that of the most influential, destructive and powerful criminals of the century. He ordered and supervised the murder of millions of Jews and other iundesirables.i His unquenchable need for power led him to declare a war that claimed countless other lives. "

The highlight of the entire five hours is great film discovered of Hitler in 1914, standing on the Odeonsplatz in Munich. There is also new film of Hitler marching with the Freicorps in 1919 and some rare footage of him again in Garmisch in 1920. At least the same old dreary stock footage of Hitler is supplemented with some interesting, new footage.

A note on the film and sound quality in this package: it's substandard. When I've seen the series on the History Channel, the quality is superior to this VHS version.

This is probably still the best attempt made to document Hitler's life and times, but there is still ample room for improvement in the future.


What a Rip Off!   March 9, 2000
Roger Duncan (U.S.)
19 out of 26 found this review helpful

Poor picture quality was just the first problem with this documentary. The information is misleading, and in some places, down right incorrect. The quotes are taken out of context to make Hitler seems as evil as possible. Do not buy this video.


Interesting approach   February 3, 2000
Chris Johnson (Webster Groves, Missouri United States)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Instead of the usual birth-to-death narrative of most historical biographies, this documentary examines six different aspects of Hitler's personality(The Private Man, The Commander, The Criminal, etc.)and manages to flesh Hitler out a lot more than most Hitler documentaries I've seen. And there is a great deal of previously-unknown information here. I had no idea that Hitler supported the leftist soviet government of Munich after the war and even stood for election to one of its councils.

That being said, this series has a drawback or two. Its approach means that it's going to be a bit repetitive. And I feel that the filmmakers place too much of the blame for the horrors of Nazi Germany on Hitler himself and nowhere near enough on the German people who supported him almost to the end. Those reservations aside, however, this is as informative an examination of Hitler as I have ever seen.