Swastika (1974)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I tripped over this movie late at night on Amazon on-demand video. I gotta tell you, it's definitely interesting. It shows the "human" side of Hitler, joking around with staff, making wise cracks here and there, complaining about cigarette smoke, etc. I think the intent of the story (which is basically newsreel and personal movie camera footage in order from 1935 to 1945) is to chronicle the rise and fall of Hitler, as seen in his eyes. You can see how the war wears on him- he gets grayer, starts shaking at times, and even see how he can't stand being in direct sunlight because of the drugs he was on. So, knowing his personal and physical history from what I've read before about the sick Bastard, this movie confirms those conclusions (i.e.- he was mentally ill and took large doses of drugs that blurred his speech, the way he walked, the way he interacted with others, etc. So, it's a good documentary from that end. Suggest watching with the volume down most of the time because hearing all the "Hiel Hitler!"s are enough to make you want to drink...

I think the scariest thing about Swastika is that Hitler and his amoral cronies looked about as threatening as a bunch of accountants on holiday for most of this movie. For the bulk of the home movie sequences the fuhrer & co could have been just as easily been seen as "uncle Freddy from Bathurst", which is an indication of just how non-evil these people appeared on the surface, no slavering fanatics or blood drinking monsters to be seen here kids, just a group of rather dull, boring people with nothing much to say that would set them apart from anyone else. And it can't help but make me wonder that if a bunch of boring old farts like these people are capable of initiating one of the most horrifying periods of the twentieth century then there is perhaps no limits to the potentiality for evil buried in the darker recesses of the human psyche, no matter how banal the person may appear on the surface.

Home movies of Hitler with Goering & Goebbels & Eva & the gang (much of it at der Berghof, much shot by Eva), a bit of Bormann, Himmler, & Speer as well, interspersed with plenty of domestic documentary footage, predominantly from 1933 to 1939. Eva exhibitionistically posing in a swimsuit whilst hanging from a lakeshore tree branch; Adolf lovingly petting a German shepherd, & elsewhere observing that a recreational-boar-hunting "Göring should go into the forest with a spear." A squadron of planes flying in perfect swastika formation, Neville Chamberlain's declarations of triumphant diplomacy, even Jesse Owens praising his hosts' treatment at the 12th Olympics.These were gay, heady times in the Third Reich, and the camera was there to capture it. Fairly fascinating to hear Adolf talk in a calm, conversational tone without spewing venom, and even more refreshing to endure no predictably prejudising Allied-oriented narration, even when things inexorably but slowly begin to take a darker turn in the last third of the film, and der Juden problem begins to emerge (to which a recently fled Einstein vaguely makes a public response).Quite enlightening to just slowly take it in and in a measured manner comprehend for yourself what you're seeing; thank you, Mr. Mora, for that liberty. Released in the year 1973 (apparently causing something of a riot at its Cannes premiere), was banned im Deutschland for the next 36 for fear that seeing the human side of Hitler would de-demonize him. (The director followed up this effort with his first feature film, Mad Dog Morgan with Dennis Hopper.)Among the special features (in the Australian version of the DVD, at least), the Leni Riefenstahl attack piece has received both praise and excoriation.

This feature length documentary will knock your socks off ... if you're ever lucky enough to see it. If you have ever wondered how Hitler and his thugs wooed the Germans? Philippe Mora has assembled an incredible body of film footage here and let the material tell the story ... there is no narration, something Philippe does particularly well (see his next doco, BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME). He was even able to find Eva Braun's home movies of Hitler, mostly taken at Obersalzburg, and with the help of German lipreaders, bring them to life. Students of history will find it particularly enlightening. It is also horrifying. Most people didn't think Hitler was at all bad. Famous reporter Dick Brinkly singing the praises of Hitler in the mid 30s must be embarrassing. See it if you can. Pray it comes out on DVD one day.