Is this seriously the attempt of "filmmakers" to offer a unique lens on Adolf Hitler through the books he read? They deliver a troublingly aestheticized portrait that risks romanticizing the intellectual pretensions of a mass murderer, who wasn't that intellectual or sharp at all.
The documentary appears unaware - or worse, indifferent - to the moral weight required when exploring Hitler's inner world. Framing him as a "bookworm," subtly contrasted with the violent hands of the SA and SS, implies a bizarre and offensive moral distance. This is historical malpractice by omission. Hitler did not merely "inspire" or "lead" a murderous regime - he enabled, ordered, and drove genocide.
Jeremy Irons' refined, contemplative narration only deepens the unease. His voice, typically used to elevate complexity and gravitas, here feels misapplied - lending unintended dignity to the inner life of a man whose intellectual posturing was instrumentalized in service of mass death. Without a clear editorial stance, the film mistakes atmosphere for analysis, and curiosity for moral neutrality.
It is possible - even necessary - to study evil. But doing so without rigor, context, or ethical clarity does not challenge fascism; it flirts with legitimizing it. It has to be done by qualified persons.
This is a worthless piece of atrocity.
