Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate

Lots of self appointed experts voicing opinions, with a worrying lack of facts. I'm concerned where Netflix documentaries are going, as they appear more and more to be a vehicle for politics and opinion, and allowing very little space for actual historical narrative. While there are some really excellent subject matter experts involved (mainly the German speaking historians), their credibility is undermined by a number of non-academic commentators. It's really disappointing because this is a fascinating subject that needs intelligent and educated analysis and interpretation but; instead, it's reduced to some student debate.

In the challenging, free for all day to day reality in 1920s Berlin one place stood out: the Eldorado. Known as the premier nightclub for LGBTQs it symbolized the city's liberal and economically troubled times with its open lifestyle. "Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate" (Eldorado - Alles, was die Nazis hassen) is a well-done docudrama on the establishment's fabled story and the colorful and tragic figures who made it a legend. Featuring reenactments that ressurect the time and place to life and interviews with historians (most who are gay and transgender themselves) with haunting images and footage of the time the film is a window into a little-known and fascinating period in history. Historical figures like Nazi leader Ernst Röhm, Tennis champion and aristocrat Gottfried von Cramm, pioneering sex author Magnus Hirschfeld, artist Toni Ebel and her lover Charlotte Charlaque who are perhaps the first recipients of sex change operations, etc., bring to life an era with their interesting and tragic lives. The interview with composer and centenarian Walter Arlen brings the compelling and sad saga right to the present. While it may go on a bit too long this is one of the best documentaries on the subject. Colorful and moving "Eldorado" is one history and film fans wouldn't want to miss.

Albeit knowing this side of nazism, I never knew the existence of Eldorado before. To summarize it shows the gradual "undersasibility" of the LGBT individuals through the evolution of nazism in the 30, and in one of the countries it was most advanced in terms ofs society.

Ironically enough some (hig) members of the party nazi were part of this, this they themselves were not more desiribe or torelable. It also shows how advanced the techniques of gender surgery were (relatively) advanced in comparison with the rest of the worlds into this small time of liberty after the 20's, including showing rare footage and photos of the movement.

Very enlightening and well done documentary of Netflix that shows some of the changes towards quality and content streaming on this last year.

A solid 8.0 out of 10.0 / A- for this one.

A quote from the movie - "The pace of change is a source of frustration for just about everybody. If you're a radical, then change is happening much too slowly for you. On the other side, if you're a conservative, you're watching everything that gives your life depth and meaning washed away. And its that experience of being threatened by this change that gives fascists fertile ground in which to spread their poisonous ideas."

Excellent filmmaking - documentary like (with historical footage), but also with storytellers, and some very moving love stories at the centre.

Lot of food for thought for the queer community about how an idyllic period can overnight turn into horrific devastation. And also about where our priorities lie - to be foolhardy and to go along with evil only to be fatally betrayed like Ernst Rohm; or to make space for oneself, and a whole lot of others, and to grow authentically, like Magnus Hirshfield ? And in some irony, Rohm was perhaps more overt about his homosexuality than Hirshfield.

Also about how redemption is mostly an inside job - because even several decades after the war, the queer community still faced legal persecution in W. Germany. (Not that Alan Turing had it any better, on the other side)

Honestly, I thought that this would be more sensationalistic. But apart from one borderline almost graphic scene, this film focuses on the tragic story of what can happen when people's rights are taken away. We tend to think that human society evolves into a better and better form, but this film tells us the story that, ultimately, society is what we choose to create. And although the filmmakers only vaguely hint that the connection between the events of pre-order and what is going on in the United States now, the viewer ultimately is forced to make the connection. There are many connections between pre-war and the current state of American society. The rise of fascism, and the growing divisions within society. One can only hope that American society does not go down that dark road.