An inquiry into decades of cultural fascination with the Nazi leader, and the ramifications of such a fascination on present-day politics.
The latest documentary from award-winning married filmmakers Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein (“Gunner Palace,” “Karl Marx City”) is an analysis of our culture’s fascination with Hitler and Nazism set against the never-ending cycle of racism, intolerance, and the revision of history. The film traces Hitler’s rise to power and his various homes and headquarters as historians and writers, including Martin Amis, Deborah Lipstadt, Saul Friedlander, Francine Prose, Yehuda Bauer, and Nazi hunters Beate and Serge Klarsfeld, offer insightful interviews. Tucker and Epperlein travel all over Europe to capture interesting historical sites.
Tucker and Epperlein point out the importance of understanding German history as detrimental to understanding the current climate but gloss over a lot of important events. The filmmakers also are concerned they will unintentionally contribute more fascination towards the “Nazi Cinematic Universe.” Professor Saul Friedlander, a Holocaust survivor, and historian mentions Hitler’s Machiavellian mindset to know that these large parades and speeches would be watched and reenacted for hundreds of years. Friedlander’s parents were killed in Auschwitz and he shares an incredible story of survival.
Hollywood’s fascination with Hitler is rightfully criticized: the industry has normalized his appearance and satirical propaganda has an ironic way of being misconstrued. Hitler did everything to keep his past buried and wanted to keep his legend untarnished. In reality, he was a failed artist and never got over his life of squalor and paranoia in Vienna. Today in Berlin, the famous underground bunker where Hitler took his own life (along with a lot of the German Command) is covered as a parking lot but there’s a controversial replica open to the public. His last moments are examined by a forensic pathologist and Amis analyzes his suicidal ideation and lack of relationships. Both citizens in his tiny village and the rapidly expanding Vienna were terrified by the surge of immigrants. This xenophobic fear is connected to a modern-day Perdiga rally, a nationalist movement, that is gaining members steadily. During anti-refugee marches, they shout “lying press” which astonishes Epperlein. The thing is the media does lie and manipulate people. Although there are various factors to the continuing atomization of people, the media is one of the biggest drivers.
The documentary finds its contemporary villain in David Irving, a Holocaust denier. Irving’s interviewed at The Wolf’s Lair, a creepy wooden fortress in Poland, where Hitler spent a lot of time. Irving used to be a respected historian until he became warped in his views claiming Hitler had no idea that Jews and leftists were being exterminated. In the most disturbing scene, while Irving is walking around a concentration camp he laughs over the “inflated numbers” and that Jews couldn’t handle extraneous labor. Complete lunatic.
Nazi hunters Beate and Serge Klarsfeld, who captured Klaus Barbie, the Butcher of Lyon, are interviewed. Beate and Klarsfeld are concerned with outright fascism being preached and accepted in Western countries. Klarsfeld says “history has no precise direction,” but I disagree. History is cyclical with economic disparity leading to violence and fascism.
Filmmaking techniques by the Nazis’ top director, Leni Riefenstahl, in her “Triumph of the Will,” showcased how kitsch and pageantry remain powerful and these techniques are recreated in blockbusters like Star Wars among many others. Some interesting connections are drawn between the 8-Chan alt-right and the tiki torch khaki rally which pathetically attempted to remake “Triumph of the Will.” Although there’s plenty of Internet personalities that should stop preaching hate, censorship is what the Nazis did. Also, while the subjects onscreen decry internet posters, they forget talking heads like Tucker Carlson, Rachel Maddow, and Ben Shapiro. People paid a lot of money to stoke fear and division with their xenophobic misinformation.
Among quite a few things, in particular, the documentary fails to acknowledge the media’s role in catapulting Trump for better ratings and how the failure of governments and institutions has led so many to embrace fascism. Endless wars waged have led to endless refugees that cause a multitude of problems. The documentary doesn’t mention the failure of the German Revolution of 1918-1919 – where the working class were rising up in the face of economic strife and four years of War – that’s an important and distinct line to draw toward the rise of the Nazi party.
While the filmmakers attempt to provoke and understand one of history’s darkest figures, the resulting doc feels more like a guided history tour with an important wing that’s closed to the public for repairs.
Now playing in Select Theaters, On Demand, and on Digital
