Führer und Verführer

German director Joachim Lang directed this film concerning the last years of the master manipulator Goebbels, the propaganda minister of Nazi Germany. A chilling biopic that practically covers almost the entire period in which the swastika ruled in that country. Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels is in charge of building public support for the Holocaust and for the war that Hitler is about to start. Goebbels accompanied Hitler for seven years from March 1938 until his death. The film also recreates some passages and dialogues of the story in which there are no images, also adds documentary footage to clarify the facts, and sometimes adds e in May 1945, and after the defeat of Stalingrad in 1944 came his best moment.

This is an acceptable drama set on Nazi time with thoughtful plot and slick direction. The director tried to capture as a starting point the answer to the question: how was it possible to commit the atrocities of the Holocaust? The end recreates passages and dialogues in which there are no images, according to the director: It is important to be careful when handling documentary material. That's why you have to deconstruct and decode it to get behind the curtain and to reality as it was.

The picture deals with Joseph Goebbels, the Minister of Propaganda, well played by Robert Stadlober and his relationsip with Hitler, adequately performed by Fritz Karl, during the seven years from the "Anschluss" of Austria in March 1938 to the murder and suicide in the Führerbunker in May 1945. While Hitler is at the height of his power, Goebbels is the creator of the pictures of the flag waving crowds and of the anti-Semitic films "Jud Süß" and "Der ewige Jude", that prepare the people for the mass murder of the Jews. He delivered an eloquent speech on total war at the Berlin Sports Palace, just as the initial successes of the Third Reich during World War II gave way to successive defeats that led to the fall of the regime. After the defeat at Stalingrad in 1944 came his best moment, but the situation becoming increasingly hopeless in late 1944, Goebbels plans the most radical propaganda act, his last staging, with Hitler's suicide, the murder of his family, and his own suicide. It's a decent biographical film, however most of the actors who played the famous evil Nazi roles don't bear much physical resemblance to the real characters, and sometimes they seem to be playing their roles in a somewhat ironic way. In the film there is a long succession of historical Nazi characters parading throughout, played by good German actors, which will delight lovers of Nazi history, including: Magda Goebbels, Eva Braun, Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler, Otto Dietrich, Alfred Rosenberg, Martin Bormann, von Ribbentrop, Albert Speer, Otto Dietrich, Fritz Hippler, Leni Riefenstahl, Heinz Rühmann, Veith Harlan, and Lida Baarova. The latter had an long term affair with Joseph Goebbels. This liaison, for a while, did her career no harm. According to popular legend, Baarova's then-lover, the actor Gustav Fröhlich, slapped Goebbels in the face after catching the two in flagrant. Hitler, in order to salvage the marriage between Magda and Joseph Goebbels and to circumvent a scandal, effectively ordered Goeebels to give up his mistress. In 1938, Baarova was forbidden to make any further films in Germany.

Goebbels suffered from "a narcissistic personality disorder that caused him to addictively seek recognition and praise", which would explain his "almost absolute devotion to Hitler, his obsession with his own image and the fact that he spent a considerable amount of time engaged in long battles with his competitors in Hitler's entourage."Goebbels was one of the main instigators of antisemitic acts and one of the few Nazi leaders to publicly mention the Jewish genocide. His political opponents considered him a feared demagogue and mass agitator. This reputation began after the refoundation of the NSDAP, when Goebbels organized riots and street clashes against the communists in Berlin.

The movie talks about various historic events just like the ¨fire in the Berlin parliament, Reichstag¨ and ¨The night of the broken glass¨ well re-enacted in the film, as the night of November 9, 1938, when terror attacks were made on Jewish synagogues and stores. Two days earlier, Vom Rath, Third Secretary of the German Embassy in Paris , had been assassinated by Grynszpan, a Polish Jew. In retaliation, Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich, chief of the SD, ordered the destruction of all Jewish places of worship in Germany and Austria. The assault had been long prepared , the murder provided an opportunity to begin the attack. In fifteen hours 101 synagogues were destroyed by fire and 76 were demolished. Bands of Nazis (one of them is our starring Viggo Mortensen, though unaware) destroyed 7.500 Jewish-owned stores. The pillage and looting went on through the night. Streets were covered with broken glass , hence the name Kristallnacht. Three days later Hermann Goering along with Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbles called a meeting of the top hierarchy at the Air Ministry to assess the damage done during the night and place responsibility for it. Goebbles proposed that Jews no longer be allowed to use the public parks. It was decided that the Jews would have to pay for the damage they had provoked. As the war drew to a close and Germany faced defeat, he moved with his wife Magda and their children to Berlin. Following the events of the Wolf's Lair attack on July 20, 1944, Hitler appointed Goebbels "plenipotentiary for total war" On 22 April 1945, they moved into the underground Vorbunker, part of the Führer's air raid shelter. Hitler committed suicide on 30 April, and in accordance with his will, Goebbels succeeded him as Reich Chancellor (Reichskanzler). The following day, facing German defeat, he and his wife committed suicide after poisoning their six children.

This movie is one of a couple that should be seen in western society after learning the facts of WW2. It in my opinion gives an impression facts alone cannot. It is a light version of the impressions you get walking through the remains of concentrationcamps seeing pictures and video of what happened there.

It has the systematic side, it shows what propaganda can do and the horrors it hid and twisted. It has been good they showed these horrors. I would say they stayed on the safe side in matter of quantity of horrors shown and time inbetween as to not traumatize the viewers. But still hit them with the image of true evil.

Those movies I mentioned before should be this, Schindlers list and a movie about Aktion T4.

This movie is based on true facts, which are historically very relevant. Focus is thereby put on several important events that took place during WW2.

The acting was pretty good. I must say though that the actor that plays the role of Hitler, unfortunately does not come close to what we have seen in the movie "Der Untergang".

The props, costumes, buildings etc. All made it look like it is taking place during the 1930's and 40's. One can clearly see that much effort has been put in this.

Mistakes have also been made. Basic mistakes are made like using both the names Saint-Petersburg and Leningrad, whilst they only should have used the latter. Other mistakes are e.g. Adolf Hitler showing no signs of having Parkinson's Disease - i.e. A trembling hand - in the bunker scenes.

Overall, I found the movie a bit underwhelming. I personally think it may have to do with a too short of a time and a low budget for depicting so many impactful historical events. I therefore can only score this movie 6.3/10, resulting in a 6-star IMDb rating.

I however advise anyone with an interest in what happened during WW2 to watch this movie. Until there is a better alternative, it is still the best way to get an idea of the importance of Joseph Goebbels - and his use of propaganda - during WW2. I hope though that we will see in the future a mini-series, which gives the viewer a better insight on the use of propaganda during WW2. Because a movie of 2 hours seems to be really too short when you want to cover a topic like Goebbels during WW2.

The film begins with the chilling quote, "It happened, therefore it can happen again," setting the tone for a haunting exploration of the horrors of World War II.

This film is a vital reminder of the atrocities, masterfully portraying how the Nazi regime manipulated the media to control the public's perception, with devastating consequences. The performances are gripping, offering a deeply unsettling portrayal of these infamous figures.

The final moments powerfully reinforce the film's message, leaving the audience in stunned silence well after the credits roll. It's an experience that stays with you long after leaving the theater.

The production is a hybrid between documentary and a drama. Apart from minor errors the story appears faithful to what we know about the facts but fails to explain the motivations of the principle charecters.

Goebbels was a cynical intellectual, making jokes about Hitler in the early days. We get no explanation what turned him into one of Hitler's most faithful follower. Was it because he really believed in him or because he promised a key to power for both of them. May be nobody will ever know but if one decides to retell the story at least a hypothesis should be provided.

In spite of all the acting we are left with just another documentary.