Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9757 in VHS
• Released on: 2003-10-20
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 130 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Starring Robert Carlyle as the Nazi dictator, Hitler: The Rise of Evil is a lavish made-for-TV two-parter that traces Adolf Hitler's early life, including his boyhood in Austria and impoverished period as a struggling artist in Vienna, culminating in 1934, by which time he had assumed the chancellorship of Germany. We bear witness to the rhetoric, ruthlessness and obsessive determination that propelled him to power, despite the best efforts of opponents like Matthew Modine's campaigning journalist. His inadequate but despotic relationships with women, such as his tragic half-niece Geli Raubal, are also examined.

Carlyle fares very well in what is traditionally considered the invidious task of bringing Hitler to dramatic life, conveying him plausibly as an impenetrably evil man, complex but irredeemable. However, this drama fails to explain just how and why such a pathetic, psychotic, unattractive individual such as Hitler could make such an immediate, profound impression on, for example, Ernst Hanfstangl and his wife Nina (ER's Julianne Margulies). Disproportionate attention is paid to Hitler's relationship to this American-born couple, perhaps as a sop to US audiences. In contrast, the social, cultural and political context of inter-war Germany is skimpily depicted here, making Hitler's ascendancy seem almost absurd.

On the DVD: Hitler: The Rise of Evil is, as you would expect, a decent transfer from the TV original, but there are no additional features. --David Stubbs

Synopsis
The story of the life of Adolf Hitler, from his early childhood to his emergence as ruler of Germany in 1934.

Customer Reviews

Powerful and disturbing.
This powerful often shocking film charts in some considerable detail the rise to power of Adolf Hitler from his early years until his emergence as Germany's ruler. Sadly it does not include the Second World War itself.

The performance of Robert Carlyle in the role of Hitler is nothing short of remarkable with virtually every possible character trait of the Nazi dictator being captured and portrayed in an incredibly convincing manner.

This presentation stunningly captures what can only be described as the inherent, virulent, irrational hatred of the Jews present within the life of Hitler, even from his earliest years. A hatred which underlies a vast section of this performance. The film even portrays this personal hatred throughout Hitler's service in the trenches of the First World War and how he blames the Jews for not only the war itself but for all the nation's ills.

Many viewers will perhaps find the portrayal of this historical hatred quite disturbing, along with the ease in which his followers and so much of the German populace readily adhered to the policies of racial hatred so commendably depicted in this production which describes the German nation as "happily surrendering it's voice to one man". It is impossible to provide further details in a review without "revealing the plot".

At the outset the audience is appropriately directed to the quote by Edmund Burke which states "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". The viewer then proceeds to see how this very precept was acted out within the Third Reich.

This film really is a "must view" irrespective of the individual's take on history. Some students of history might indeed disagree with the accuracy of some aspects of the presentation. Despite this I highly recommend this presentation.

Getting Better
Any book, film, radio drama, or TV documentary that concerns the life of Adolf Hitler is bound to elicit strong feelings. That was true during the man's political career and it remains true today. Though we are now in the twenty-first century, the boundaries of political correctness remain present regarding what can and cannot be said about this individual. That disclaimer aside, let me start off by saying that this dramatisation of the early (pre-Second World War) part of Hitler's life is a strong step toward coming to terms with who and what he was. Robert Carlyle's performance is absolutely compelling, but there are some serious drawbacks that future dramatisations will have to work around if they are to match the headway that historical studies have made. This is always a tough, uphill road because what the public receives through first-class television programmes always lags behind what half-way decent histories have achieved. As I have said, it's hard to fault Carlyle's performance. He's excellent. Nor did the set, the costumes, or the performances of the other actors disappoint. But here's what did disappoint:

1. The script. Two things were grossly overstated. Firstly, Hitler's antisemitism. He certainly was an antisemite, and that did need to be made clear. But the TV series conveys the impression that antisemitism was the sole ideology behind his politics. I'm sorry, but that was only a part of his thinking, and not the biggest part at that. Where, for example, do we see Hitler's opinions concerning German re-armament? You would think, as a militarist, that this would be something worth mentioning. Apparently it is not. There are lots of SA parading around, but no mention is made whatsoever of Hitler's opinion regarding international affairs. The words "France," "England," "Russia," "Japan" and "Italy" seem not to have been part of his vocabulary. Personally, I found this rather odd. Antisemitism was important, yes, but Hitler's dreams of a pure Germany seem to have crowded out any notion of a greater Germany. Since I already knew that Hitler was an antisemite, the portrayal seemed, well, a bit too simplistic.

2. Secondly, Hitler's insanity. There's no doubt that he was seriously disturbed in some way, especially toward the end of his life. I could throw a few terms around, but I'm no psychoanalyst and it wouldn't prove much. Still, it seems to me that putting him in the "insane" or "mad" box almost from day one is just too easy. It makes us feel more comfortable, because then he becomes explainable, containable, and possibly understandable. A much less convenient idea (for television and those who like things simple) could be that he was, in fact, quite sane for much of his early career. If we say that, of course, we then open up a whole lot of delicate questions about what would drive someone toward the path Hitler took. That's not easy, and I'm not surprised the TV series shied away from it, but future efforts have got to be brave and at least pose the possibility of a sane dictator.

3. The music. It is decent enough, but remains sinister throughout. It always speaks to what the viewer already supposes, namely: "This man is evil, my God, won't somebody stop him? He's on a course to destroy the world." In other words, it takes a number of future events (Hitler's appointment as Chancellor; World War II; the Final Solution; his suicide) as a foregone conclusion. To us, of course, they are. But to the Hitler of the 1900's, 1910's, 1920's, and 1930's, were they? Only if you are a total believer in fate. Hitler was a man, a destructive, antisemitic, ultra-militaristic, demagogic, monomaniacal warmonger, but still nonetheless a man. The music, however, would have us believe that he was not a man, but rather some force from the lowest regions of the underworld.

4. The length. Quite simply, it is just not possible to encompass the range of national, political, social, personal, and moral issues that plagued Hitler's life in a drama that lasts around three hours. Hitler's life influenced the course of history like nothing else in the twentieth century. He was an awful man who, until the war years, was beloved of millions of Germans who voted him into power (a curious fact this TV series does not really explain). Future efforts have got to be much larger than this. Now and then the series seemed to rush through events, which left me feeling giddy. Of course, this was a quality of the times, but it's also a quality of a budgeting / editing process that cuts out whole swathes of a history which we really ought to have seen more of.

Once again, I enjoyed watching this a lot. I also think it's a solid step along the way toward more thorough efforts in the future. Hitler's not going away. He'll always be with us (just tune into UK History, you'll see what I mean). But I'm still waiting for a director to brave the watchdogs of political correctness and look Hitler full in the face, with history book in one hand and compassion in the other.

The best so far
For someone who wants a stimulating and entertaining portrayal of Adolf Hitler, then this is the one for you. Robert Carlyle does do Hitler some justice in that his oratory was inspiring, and seems to rant and rave as well as Hitler would have probably done. The film does not however get 5 stars as there are some inaccuracies which I feel needn't have occurred. His actions in the army were dismissed as lucky and depicts Hitler as being obsessive with his niece. However the Munich Putsch was particularly done well and I have not seen a better depiction of Hitler's ruthlessness in any other drama.