Be careful around Adolph Hitler. This man with the mustache will charm you with his charisma, compassion, artistic talents and passion for opera. That's if you are 100% Aryian, don't smoke around him, or have any generational defects. He will also turn on you on a dime, accusing the Germans of inbred disloyalty (reminding us that he was actually Austrian), express his earlier desire to have dropped the European Jews off on Madagascar before realizing that it was easier to simply eradicate them. He even goes as far to praise his British enemies for their obvious loyalty while badmouthing the nationality of the men he commands. In a humorous moment, he laughs about characteristics of both Roosevelt and Churchill. In short, this is a view of a very complex man that you surely do not want to be fooled by.
While dozens of biographies have been told (through books and on screen) in regards to the German fuhrer who changed the course of 20th Century history, some are better than others. On screen, Hitler has been portrayed by Bobby Watson ("The Hitler Gang"), Richard Basehart ("Hitler") and TV's "The Bunker" (Anthony Hopkins), among others, and here, it is the extraordinary Sir Alec Guennis who portrays him. Guennis adds a new twist to Hitler, focusing on the man's various personality quirks, both positive and negative, and for that reason, it is easy to see who he was outside of the world's greatest enemy. You have to remind yourself that this is not a man to like in any circumstance.
Guennis takes the role seriously, as far from Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" as could possibly be. However, Guennis's voice, having brilliantly upgraded many comedies from charming con-men in "The Lavender Hill Mob" and "The Lady Killers" to a chuckling Jacob Marley in "Scrooge" and the blind butler "James Sir Bensonmum" in Neil Simon's "Murder By Death". Even with an Oscar Winning dramatic role ("The Bridge on the River Kwai"), it will be his comedy that he will be remembered for. So to see Guennis as Hitler is difficult to accept in a totally dramatic sense, and you have to keep reminding yourself of whom he is playing. It is almost like watching "Airplane's" Leslie Nielsen act serious in dramas and try not laughing.
But Hitler was a serious character in modern history, so the laughs disappear as this man's characteristics are revealed. His anger at the apparent betrayal of the S.S., his own generals and eventually Eva Braun, his long-time mistress, is something to be taken seriously. His command that the bridges be guarded by "Hitler's Youth" and the brief visit by a representative of that youth, a casual conversation with other bunker residents of how they will commit suicide, and finally, the desperation he has in having to face his fate will engross you throughout. To think that this man lived less than 70 years ago and all the villains who have come since is really scary. Then, there is his interest in how he will be remembered, wanting photos to remain behind so he won't face the same fate as Jesus in supposedly being misrepresented by artists. So many individual moments of this film stand out. Actual newsreel footage, stills and newly created black and white footage (done in beautiful sepia tone) make this an attractive film to look at about an unattractive time in our history.
All of these qualities make it easy to overlook my misgivings in looking at Guennis's performance in view of his comic genius. In retrospect, he is excellent. The final scene between Hitler and Eva Braun (Doris Kunstmann) is truly haunting (as the other bunker residents in the other room face their last days quite differently than Hitler) and a nice pay-off ends the film with some delicious irony.
While dozens of biographies have been told (through books and on screen) in regards to the German fuhrer who changed the course of 20th Century history, some are better than others. On screen, Hitler has been portrayed by Bobby Watson ("The Hitler Gang"), Richard Basehart ("Hitler") and TV's "The Bunker" (Anthony Hopkins), among others, and here, it is the extraordinary Sir Alec Guennis who portrays him. Guennis adds a new twist to Hitler, focusing on the man's various personality quirks, both positive and negative, and for that reason, it is easy to see who he was outside of the world's greatest enemy. You have to remind yourself that this is not a man to like in any circumstance.
Guennis takes the role seriously, as far from Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" as could possibly be. However, Guennis's voice, having brilliantly upgraded many comedies from charming con-men in "The Lavender Hill Mob" and "The Lady Killers" to a chuckling Jacob Marley in "Scrooge" and the blind butler "James Sir Bensonmum" in Neil Simon's "Murder By Death". Even with an Oscar Winning dramatic role ("The Bridge on the River Kwai"), it will be his comedy that he will be remembered for. So to see Guennis as Hitler is difficult to accept in a totally dramatic sense, and you have to keep reminding yourself of whom he is playing. It is almost like watching "Airplane's" Leslie Nielsen act serious in dramas and try not laughing.
But Hitler was a serious character in modern history, so the laughs disappear as this man's characteristics are revealed. His anger at the apparent betrayal of the S.S., his own generals and eventually Eva Braun, his long-time mistress, is something to be taken seriously. His command that the bridges be guarded by "Hitler's Youth" and the brief visit by a representative of that youth, a casual conversation with other bunker residents of how they will commit suicide, and finally, the desperation he has in having to face his fate will engross you throughout. To think that this man lived less than 70 years ago and all the villains who have come since is really scary. Then, there is his interest in how he will be remembered, wanting photos to remain behind so he won't face the same fate as Jesus in supposedly being misrepresented by artists. So many individual moments of this film stand out. Actual newsreel footage, stills and newly created black and white footage (done in beautiful sepia tone) make this an attractive film to look at about an unattractive time in our history.
All of these qualities make it easy to overlook my misgivings in looking at Guennis's performance in view of his comic genius. In retrospect, he is excellent. The final scene between Hitler and Eva Braun (Doris Kunstmann) is truly haunting (as the other bunker residents in the other room face their last days quite differently than Hitler) and a nice pay-off ends the film with some delicious irony.