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53 of 59 found the following review helpful:
Third Reich, humanizedJul 30, 2008
By Wayne Engle
"Wayne Engle"
Adolf Hitler and the people of the Third Reich are seen here as we've never seen them before -- not only in color, but laughing, clowning, having a good time.
Well, the German people were, anyway. Hitler always seemed to be too aware of his position as the stern, implacable warlord to loosen up whenever he even suspected a camera was focused on him. To see Der Fuehrer smile, laugh or appear even moderately light-hearted, you have to watch for the moment when he happens to be looking partially away from the camera, to have momentarily forgotten its presence. There is one scene where he chats briefly with a group of German children, giving one pretty little blonde girl a hug. But it's shot from a short distance and his face is partially hidden. I've seen still photos, candid ones, of Adolf Hitler interacting with children, who seem to be relaxed and happy in his presence. Look at those photos, and read reminiscences of people who were close to Hitler, and you'll find out, probably to your amazement, that yes, the "most evil man in history" was fond of children.
"Hitler In Colour" does give us a much more "human" look at the German people of the Third Reich era, showing them at work and play (although footage of smiling children giving the Nazi salute are admittedly unsettling.) Normal human interactions and the underlying evil of the Nazi era often were overlaid, one on the other.
This DVD is very illuminating for those who have until now only seen fading black and white movies of the Hitler era. It is an experience not to be missed.
41 of 46 found the following review helpful:
 Very Well DoneSep 06, 2006
By Akinaw Bulcha
A very good overview of one of the most intriquing moments in world history. Good dramatic effect, voice-overs, etc. Good blend of entertainment, history, and analysis. Includes the diaries of numerous persons: Hitler's pilot, Hitler himself, Jews, Germans, Soldiers and Eva Braun (Hitler's mistress). Lots of interesting color footage.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
All-Color Footage Makes History of Hitler Look NewJan 09, 2010
By Jack Shatter
I have seen many a documentary about the rise and fall of Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany,
but this recent one, in blazing color, narrated by actor Brian Cox, is one of the very best.
The bright and splendid color brings this familiar but still frightening story out of the
past and makes it appear to be happening TODAY. It is stunning to see the red Nazi banners
with swastikas billowing throughout old Berlin. For a moment you realize how it would feel
to actually BE there (for me a terrifying sensation-- the people running things were NAZIS)!
It is striking to see nude Eva Braun doing gymnastics by a lake, and then with the typically
serious-looking Fuhrer, receiving top Nazi guests at the utterly pleasant-looking Obersalzberg.
You get a chance to see the actual hues of Third Reich uniforms on the happy-looking visitors.
There is remarkable footage of Hitler charming famous British politician Lloyd George into
believing that Germany is no threat to world peace. We also see Hitler demonstrating the might
of his armed forces to that less successful dictator, Mussolini.
When Hitler attacks Poland, the realism of the color footage makes you feel that you are THERE,
and it's chilling. The conflagration of World War Two in Europe, and the Holocaust, is clearly
presented in much hitherto-unseen footage. Brian Cox narrates the events in an understandable flow.
German actors read the arrogant and hateful words of Hitler, Goebbels, and other "Master Race-ists."
When they are finally squashed, after 50 million dead, I for one wondered, what is to be learned
from this incredible calamity? Maybe it's-- always be skeptical of those people to whom you give power!
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
An Amazing Collection of Color Footage from the Third ReichJan 02, 2011
By Jan Peczkis
"Scholar and Thinker"
Most history books show black-and-white photos of Hitler, and the viewer may be surprised, as I was, to learn that there is so much color footage of Hitler and the Third Reich in existence. Each scene includes a date and narrative. The scenes are shown in chronological order.
The scenes shown include Hitler's rise to power, the 1936 Olympics, the Berlin-Rome axis, the wave of anti-Semitic graffiti and posters, the Anschluss, Polonophobe Lloyd George's virtual worship of Hitler, Neville Chamberlain's appeasement, Hitler's impassioned speech accusing the Czechs of mistreating the Sudeten Germans, Hitler with Goebbels, the invasion of Poland and later the USSR, the wife of a German soldier at Stalingrad, Hamburg in flames during the Allied firestorm bombing of July 1943, the spectacular launching of a V-2 rocket, and much more.
Other scenes show the popular reaction to the Fuhrer. The German people were in love with Hitler. He ended unemployment and restored German pride. Hitler clearly comes across as a megalomaniac, a visionary, a revolutionary, and a messianic figure. One scene parallels the statement in MEIN KAMP, in which Hitler promises to acquire lebensraum for the German people in the east (at the expense of the Slavs.)
The viewer may learn a thing or two. Did you know, for instance, that Eva Braun's father, a devout Catholic, disapproved of the Eva-Adolf relationship, and wrote a letter to Hitler basically asking him to leave his daughter alone? (She intercepted it, who knows, maybe saving her father's life). Eva Braun herself attempted suicide at least three times owing to her relationship with the Fuhrer, not counting the successful one with Hitler at the end of April 1945.
Some of the color footage follows the American soldiers entering Germany. These show German cities in ruins, German soldiers being disarmed and some German war criminals getting shot out of hand, German refugees wandering from place to place, etc.
WARNING: There is also graphic color footage of the emaciated corpses, and survivors, of the Nazi concentration camps. This may upset sensitive viewers.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Raw HistoryApr 10, 2008
By R. J. Martinez
"1611AV"
This is a good from start to finish view of Hitler's reign. It covers things from diaries to personal letters and documents. It covers the ordinary German persective and the ordinary Jewish perspective. It has held history in a time capsule of DVD form.
Great film for students of history. It is nice to see some color too. Some graphic war images are in this DVD.
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