This movie was specifically made for viewing by the defendants at Nuremberg after world war 2, and it was hoped that watching it would make them realize the rest of the world sees Hitler's actions and nazi ideology as a whole as gravely immoral. Instead of of being ashamed, many of the former german leaders felt a huge sense of pride knowing that germany had brought europe to its knees. I always liked reading about the second world war, and as a result this was easy for me to watch, but it didn't contain much I didn't know already. The film is essentially just the timeline of Hitler's rise to power and how other nazi leading figures were able to put into effect his widespread persecution (and eventual genocide) of jews starting in 1941. Most of the movie is focused not on ww2 itself but the years leading up to it, showing various footage of Hitler speaking to the members of the government in the Reichstag, the german parliament building. Also shown is Hermann Goering's announcement of the Nuremberg laws, which prohibits the marriage of aryan germanic women with those deemed racially inferior. Towards the end, we finally get into the years of the actual war, and the movie moves much faster, with about 3 quarters of it taking place before the war in the 1930s. I think it is still worth looking at because of its use at the Nuremberg trials themselves.
2 Reviews
Great information Could Be Edited Better
drjgardner4 October 2015
This film is a documentary in the truest sense of the word, and the film was admitted as evidence at the Nuremberg trials in December 1945. The first part of the film is basically home movies and news reels about what was happening in Germany in the 20s and early 30s, leading up to the Nazi takeover in 1933 and some of their early actions (book burning, boycott of the Jews). After that it is mostly official news reels about Nazi activities from 1935 to 1944, and then curiously stops abruptly.
As a documentary it has lots of faults, although as a compilation of information about the Nazi movement it is priceless.
There is no real continuity in the movement from one segment to another, all of them defined chronologically. IOW one has to have a good idea of what you're looking at for it to be of importance.
A good deal of the film consists of the German language with sporadic translations that are often much shorter than the original German part of the film. There is no attempt to identify the various party leaders.
George Stevens (1904-1975) took time out from a busy career as a director to work for the war department, and made 3 films, of which this was the last. He was nominated for an Oscar 5 times and won twice ("Giant" and "A Place in the Sun"). 16 of his films generated 69 Oscar nominations and 15 wins. Some of his memorable films prior to his war service include comedies like "Woman of the Year" (1942), and "Alice Adams" (1935). After his war experience, his major films include "Diary of Anne Frank" (1959), "Shane" (1953), and "I Remember Mama" (1948). Both of his Oscar wins come from the period after the war service.
Budd Schulberg (1914-2009) helped work on the film after he finished his work with director John Ford. Schulberg is known for his novels – e.g., "What Makes Sammy Run" (1941), "The Harder They Fall" (1947) – and for his original screenplays – "On the Waterfront" (1954), "A Face in the Crowd" (1957).
If you're interested in this type of documentary, Hitler's Death Squad (aka Nazi Death Squads) is a far better film, not merely as a film, but for some of the footage which is truly remarkable. I saw it on National Geographic TV channel. It's the story of the Nazi Einsatzgruppen, especially the two years surrounding the June 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy.
As a documentary it has lots of faults, although as a compilation of information about the Nazi movement it is priceless.
There is no real continuity in the movement from one segment to another, all of them defined chronologically. IOW one has to have a good idea of what you're looking at for it to be of importance.
A good deal of the film consists of the German language with sporadic translations that are often much shorter than the original German part of the film. There is no attempt to identify the various party leaders.
George Stevens (1904-1975) took time out from a busy career as a director to work for the war department, and made 3 films, of which this was the last. He was nominated for an Oscar 5 times and won twice ("Giant" and "A Place in the Sun"). 16 of his films generated 69 Oscar nominations and 15 wins. Some of his memorable films prior to his war service include comedies like "Woman of the Year" (1942), and "Alice Adams" (1935). After his war experience, his major films include "Diary of Anne Frank" (1959), "Shane" (1953), and "I Remember Mama" (1948). Both of his Oscar wins come from the period after the war service.
Budd Schulberg (1914-2009) helped work on the film after he finished his work with director John Ford. Schulberg is known for his novels – e.g., "What Makes Sammy Run" (1941), "The Harder They Fall" (1947) – and for his original screenplays – "On the Waterfront" (1954), "A Face in the Crowd" (1957).
If you're interested in this type of documentary, Hitler's Death Squad (aka Nazi Death Squads) is a far better film, not merely as a film, but for some of the footage which is truly remarkable. I saw it on National Geographic TV channel. It's the story of the Nazi Einsatzgruppen, especially the two years surrounding the June 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy.
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