Directed by: Christian Duguay
Premise: The story of Adolf Hitler’s rise to
power from his childhood, through his failed attempt to be an artist and his
time as a soldier in World War I, culminating in his takeover of the National
Workers Party and consolidation of power.
What Works: Hitler: the Rise of Evil is a
very ambitious production and more often than not it accomplishes its goals,
attempting to explore Hitler’s background and provide some insight into the
man’s motivations and methods. The film has some great production values going
for it, especially for a made-for-TV production, such as Hitler’s attempted
coup in Munich. The Rise of Evil has some very good performances by Liev
Schreiber and Julianna Margulies as Hitler supporters Ernst and Helene
Hanfstaengl, Peter Stormare as SA leader Ernst Röhm, Matthew Modine as
anti-Nazi journalist Fritz Gerlich, Peter O'Toole as President Hindenburg, and
Robert Carlyle as the adult Adolf Hitler. Carlyle gives one of the great
performances of the Fuhrer every committed to film, on par with Bruno Ganz in Downfall,
and he portrays the man as a flawed but charismatic sociopath and an adept
politician. The film’s exploration of the man’s past does not excuse his
later crimes against humanity and the film does a nice job with the relationship
between Hitler and the German people, showing how one affected the other. As a
piece of historical cinema, the picture does a great job summarizing half a
lifetime of material into a single film and presents historical material in ways
that are relevant to our contemporary period.
What Doesn’t: The ending of the film is a bit
flimsy, concluding in a coda that feels out of place and rather forced. Also,
the one glaring historical element that is left wanting is the film’s
portrayal of Hitler's relationship to Joseph Goebbels and Goebbels importance to
the rise of Nazi popularity in Germany, both of which are under emphasized.
DVD extras: Trailer, documentaries.
Bottom Line: Hitler:
The Rise of Evil is a terrific historical film, and it will appeal to
history buffs as well as mainstream viewers. The film has its flaws, but it does
so much right that it is a worthy addition to the pantheon of World War II films
like Patton and television series Band
of Brothers.