Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial (2024)
This six part docu-series by director Joe Berlinger is an innovative exploration of Hitler’s beginnings, his establishment of the Nazi Party, Hitler’s gradual rise to absolute power, and his inexorable demise.
There are a plethora of films, documentaries, and series that address the rise and end of the Third Reich, but uniquely Berlinger has used as a basis the 10 month Nuremberg Trials of 1945-46 as an effective outline for the viewer to follow the Reich’s 12 year existence. The subject matter is both fascinating and horrific, although important historically. One confronts its nightmarish unfolding with the same trepidation as one approaches a deathly auto accident: one doesn’t think one ought to look, but one does.
The continuous return to the actual process of the Nuremberg trials, both in archival footage and with reenactments, holds the entire project together, much like the laces on a shoe. What helps bring the whole enterprise to a modern feel is the expert colorization of both the actual trial footage along with other archival footage, much of which had been filmed by Nazi crews during their campaign. The colorization makes it all seem real in contrast to black and white photography which has the effect of making historical events feel ancient and less relevant.
There are only two minor criticisms. Some of the actors portraying the Nazi inner group looked nothing like the real individuals, especially so in their choice of the actor to portray Hitler. However the role of Heinrich Himmler was a very good likeness. Also early on they made a few tasteless inferences relating to a prominent contemporary politician, but thankfully they didn’t continue with that type of thing.
Naturally they had to show videos and stills portraying the results of the tremendous barbarity directed at Jews and some other classes, but only what was necessary to get the point firmly across. I was surprised to learn that Jews were only 1% of the German population, and that they early on had been given warnings to immigrate out of the country. But many simply did not believe that they were in such horrific danger until it was too late.
5 million Jews were murdered in the camps in Germany and Poland. 60 million people lost their lives as the result of the war, most of whom were civilians. In late 1941 Hitler lost one-third of his army in the futile attempt to conquer Russia and to capture moscow. He didn’t realize it then, but that was the early death blow to his evil campaign.
There was ample mention of Hitler's right hand man, Hermann Goring's morphine addiction. But there was no mention of Hitler's own use of amphetamine, which has the potential to adversely effect normal people. But in Hitler's case we have a psychopath who took powerful stimulants on top of an already dangerous state of mind. That may have sped up his descending into madness.
This is a galvanizing series well directed by one of our leading innovators of true crime documentaries.
Doc’s rating: 8/10
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