Hitler — Films from Germany: History, Cinema and Politics since 1945

295 Pages·2012·5.724 MB·English

by  Karolin Machtans, Martin A. Ruehl (eds.)

THE HOLOCAUST AND ITS CONTEXTS
HITLER
Films from germany
HISTORY, CINEMA and POLITICS since 1945
Edited by
Karolin Machtans and Martin A. Ruehl
Hitler – Films from Germany
TheHolocaustandItsContexts
Series Editors: Olaf Jensen, University of Leicester, UK, and Claus-Christian
W.Szejnmann,LoughboroughUniversity,UK.
SeriesEditorialBoard:WolfgangBenz,RobertG.MoellerandMirjamWenzel
Morethan60yearson,theHolocaustremainsasubjectofintensedebatewith
ever-wideningramifications.Thisseriesaimstodemonstratethecontinuingrel-
evanceoftheHolocaustandrelatedissuesincontemporarysociety,politicsand
culture;studyingtheHolocaustanditshistorybroadensourunderstandingnot
onlyoftheeventsthemselvesbutalsooftheirpresent-daysignificance.Theseries
acknowledgesandrespondstothecontinuinggapsinourknowledgeaboutthe
eventsthatconstitutedtheHolocaust,thevariousformsinwhichtheHolocaust
hasbeenremembered,interpretedanddiscussed,andtheincreasingimportance
oftheHolocausttodaytomanyindividualsandcommunities.
Titlesinclude:
OlafJensenandClaus-ChristianW.Szejnmann(editors)
ORDINARYPEOPLEASMASSMURDERERS
PerpetratorsinComparativePerspectives
KarolinMachtansandMartinA.Ruehl(editors)
HITLER–FILMSFROMGERMANY
History,Cinema,andPoliticssince1945
TanjaSchult
AHERO’SMANYFACES
RaoulWallenberginContemporaryMonuments
Forthcomingtitles:
OlafJensen(editor)
HISTORYANDMEMORYAFTERTHEHOLOCAUSTINGERMANY,POLAND,
RUSSIAANDBRITAIN
TheHolocaustandItsContextsSeries
SeriesStandingOrderISBN978–0–230–22386–8Hardback
978–0–230–22387–5Paperback
(outsideNorthAmericaonly)
You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a
standing order. Please contact your bookseller or, in case of difficulty, write to
usattheaddressbelowwithyournameandaddress,thetitleoftheseriesand
theISBNquotedabove.
Customer Services Department, Macmillan Distribution Ltd, Houndmills,
Basingstoke,HampshireRG216XS,England
Hitler – Films from
Germany
History, Cinema and Politics since 1945
Editedby
Karolin Machtans
AssistantProfessorofGermanStudies,ConnecticutCollege
Martin A. Ruehl
LecturerinGermanThought,UniversityofCambridge
Palgrave
macmillan
Editorialmatter,selectionandintroduction©KarolinMachtansand
MartinA.Ruehl2012
Allremainingchapters©theirrespectiveauthors2012
Softcoverreprintofthehardcover1stedition2012978–0–230–22990–7
Allrightsreserved.Noreproduction,copyortransmissionofthis
publicationmaybemadewithoutwrittenpermission.
Noportionofthispublicationmaybereproduced,copiedortransmitted
savewithwrittenpermissionorinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthe
Copyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988,orunderthetermsofanylicence
permittinglimitedcopyingissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgency,
SaffronHouse,6–10KirbyStreet,LondonEC1N8TS.
Anypersonwhodoesanyunauthorizedactinrelationtothispublication
maybeliabletocriminalprosecutionandcivilclaimsfordamages.
Theauthorshaveassertedtheirrightstobeidentifiedastheauthorsofthis
workinaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Firstpublished2012by
PALGRAVEMACMILLAN
PalgraveMacmillanintheUKisanimprintofMacmillanPublishersLimited,
registeredinEngland,companynumber785998,ofHoundmills,Basingstoke,
HampshireRG216XS.
PalgraveMacmillanintheUSisadivisionofStMartin’sPressLLC,
175FifthAvenue,NewYork,NY10010.
PalgraveMacmillanistheglobalacademicimprintoftheabovecompanies
andhascompaniesandrepresentativesthroughouttheworld.
Palgrave®andMacmillan®areregisteredtrademarksintheUnitedStates,
theUnitedKingdom,Europeandothercountries.
ISBN978-1-349-31110-1 ISBN978-1-137-03238-6(eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137032386
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Hitler—filmsfromGermany:history,cinemaandpoliticssince1945/
editedbyMartinA.Ruehl,KarolinMachtans.
p. cm.
Summary:“Thefirstbook-lengthstudytocriticallyexaminetherecent
waveofHitlerbiopicsinGermancinemaandtelevision.Agroupof
internationalexpertsdiscussfilmslikeDownfallinthecontextof
earlierportrayalsofHitleranddrawouttheirimplicationsforthe
changingplaceoftheThirdReichinthenationalhistorical
imagination”—Providedbypublisher.
1. Hitler,Adolf,1889–1945—Inmotionpictures. 2. Motionpictures—
Germany—History—21stcentury. 3. Television—Germany—History—
21stcentury. I. Ruehl,Martin. II. Machtans,Karolin.
PN1995.9.H514M5852012
791.43(cid:2)651—dc23 2012021611
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12
Contents
ListofIllustrations vii
Acknowledgments xii
NotesonContributors xiii
Introduction 1
KarolinMachtansandMartinA.Ruehl
Part I TotemandTaboo
1 TheFührer’sFake:PresenceofanAfterlife 35
EricRentschler
2 ‘Hitler’sShadowStillLoomsoverUs’:G.W.Pabst’sThe
LastTenDaysasFilmandEvent 56
MichaelTöteberg
3 OurHitler:AFilmbyHans-JürgenSyberberg 72
ThomasElsaesser
Part II AnotherHitler
4 EntombingtheNaziPast:OnDownfallandHistoricism 99
SabineHake
5 TragedyandFarce:DaniLevy’sMeinFührer 132
MichaelD.Richardson
6 Man,Demon,Icon:Hitler’sImagebetweenCinematic
RepresentationandHistoricalReality 151
MichaelElm
7 HitlerWars:GuiltandComplicityfromHirschbiegelto
HaraldSchmidt 168
MichaelButter
v
vi Contents
Part III Approximations
8 HitlerNonfictional:OnDidacticismandExploitationin
RecentDocumentaryFilms 193
KerstinStutterheim
9 EncounteringHitler:SeductiveCharismaandMemory
SpacesinHeinrichBreloer’sSpeer&Hitler 211
AxelBangert
10 FarAwaySoClose:LovingtoHateHitler 234
JohannesvonMoltke
Index 244
Illustrations
Figures
i.1 CoverpageofHans-JürgenSyberberg’sbookHitler–A
FilmfromGermany(1982) 2
i.2 Hitlersalutescrowdsofsupportersfromamotorcade:
scenefromHitler:ACareer(1977),directedbyJoachim
FestandChristianHerrendoerfer 3
i.3 AnthonyHopkinsasHitlerinGeorgeSchaefer’stelevision
dramatizationTheBunker(1981) 9
i.4 UdoKierasHitlerinChristophSchlingensief’s100Years
ofAdolfHitler:TheLastHourintheFührerbunker(1989) 11
i.5 BrunoGanzasHitlerinDownfall(2004) 12
i.6 HelgeSchneiderasHitlerinDaniLevy’sMeinFührer
(2007) 14
i.7 MartinWuttkeasHitlerinQuentinTarantino’s
InglouriousBasterds(2009) 15
i.8 HitlerfeaturesinanAIDSawarenessadreleasedby
GermancharityRegenbogenin2009 16
1.1 TheopeningsceneofHelmutDietl’sSchtonk!(1992),with
GüntherBaderintheroleofHitler 36
1.2 ForgerFritzKnobel(UweOchsenknecht)takesonHitler’s
featuresinSchtonk!(1992) 39
1.3 TheyoungFritzKnobel(RobertChalkey)copiesHitler’s
signaturefromthefrontispieceofMeinKampf inSchtonk!
(1992) 43
1.4 Aclose-upofHitler’shandwriting:scenefromSchtonk!
(1992) 50
2.1 Hitler(AlbinSkoda)onthecoveroftheoriginalprogram
brochureforG.W.Pabst’sTheLastTenDays(1955) 57
2.2 AlbinSkodaasHitlerandWillyKrauseasGoebbelsin
Pabst’sTheLastTenDays(1955) 61
2.3 Hitler(AlbinSkoda)acceptsdefeat:scenefromTheLast
TenDays(1955) 67
3.1 OneoftheHitlerpuppetsinHans-JürgenSyberberg’s
Hitler–AFilmfromGermany(1977) 79
vii
viii ListofIllustrations
3.2 Hitler(HeinzSchubert)as‘carpeteater’:scenefrom
Syberberg’sHitler–AFilmfromGermany(1977) 84
3.3 Hitler(HeinzSchubert)asCharlieChaplin:scenefrom
Syberberg’sHitler–AFilmfromGermany(1977) 84
3.4 Hitler(JohannesBuzalski)aspainter:scenefrom
Syberberg’sHitler–AFilmfromGermany(1977) 85
3.5 Hitler(HeinzSchubert)asstandardbearer:scenefrom
Syberberg’sHitler–AFilmfromGermany(1977) 85
3.6 HarryBaer(ashimself)inconversationwithaHitler
puppet:scenefromSyberberg’sHitler–AFilmfrom
Germany(1977) 91
4.1 Hitler(BrunoGanz)chooseshisfuturesecretary:scene
fromDownfall(2004) 101
4.2 Hitler(BrunoGanz)acceptsdefeatinDownfall(2004) 105
4.3 Close-upofTraudlJunge(AlexandraMariaLara)in
Downfall(2004) 106
4.4 Hitler(BrunoGanz)embracesEvaBraun(JulianeKöhler):
scenefromDownfall(2004) 107
4.5 JosephGoebbels(UlrichMatthes)reactstothenewsof
Germany’simminentdefeat:scenefromDownfall(2004) 107
4.6 Close-upofHitler’stremblinghands:scenefromDownfall
(2004) 111
4.7 Hitler(BrunoGanz)lashesoutagainsthisgenerals:scene
fromDownfall(2004) 123
5.1 Hitler(HelgeSchneider)takesabathinDaniLevy’sMein
Führer(2007) 136
5.2 Hitler(HelgeSchneider)sleepsbesidehisspeechcoach
AdolfGrünbaum(UlrichMühe):scenefromMeinFührer
(2007) 141
5.3 Hitler(HelgeSchneider)ontherostruminthefinal
sequenceofMeinFührer(2007) 145
5.4 Grünbaum(UlrichMühe)deliversHitler’sspeechatgun
point:scenefromMeinFührer(2007) 145
6.1 Hitler(BrunoGanz)bidsfarewelltohissecretaryin
Downfall(2004) 154
6.2 Hitler(BrunoGanz)ordersSpeertodestroyGermany’s
infrastructure:scenefromDownfall(2004) 157
6.3 Hitler(HelgeSchneider)loseshalfofhismoustachein
DaniLevy’sMeinFührer(2007) 159
6.4 Hitler(HelgeSchneider)inbedwithEvaBraun(Katja
Riemann):scenefromMeinFührer(2007) 160
ListofIllustrations ix
6.5 Hitler(DavidBamber)strokestheheadofhisGerman
shepherd:scenefromBryanSinger’sValkyrie(2008) 162
6.6 Hitler(DavidBamber)besidehiswould-beassassin
Stauffenberg(TomCruise):scenefromBryanSinger’s
Valkyrie(2008) 163
7.1 BrunoGanzasHitlerontheoriginalGermanposterfor
Downfall(2004) 172
7.2 Speer(HeinoFerch)andHitler(BrunoGanz)discussthe
rebuildingofBerlininDownfall(2004) 175
7.3 Hitler(HelgeSchneider)reclinesonacouchinLevy’s
MeinFührer(2007) 180
7.4 Hitler(HelgeSchneider)takeshisteainawhitesuitin
MeinFührer(2007) 182
7.5 HitlerinbedwithGöring:excerptfromWalterMoers’
cartoonAdolf,theNaziPig (1998) 183
7.6 Hitlerjoinsthepeacemovement:excerptfromWalter
Moers’cartoonAdolf,theNaziPig (1998) 184
8.1 Hitlerinaprivatemoment:scenefromGuidoKnopp’s
televisiondocumentaryHitler:AProfile(1995) 197
8.2 Eintopfsonntag –ordinaryGermanstaketheirlunchwith
theFührer:scenefromGuidoKnopp’sHitler:AProfile
(1995) 198
8.3 HitlerandhisGermanshepherd:scenefromHitler:A
Profile(1995) 202
9.1 Hitler(TobiasMoretti)visitsSpeerathisBerlinatelier:
scenefromHeinrichBreloer’stelevisiondocudramaSpeer
&Hitler(2005) 212
9.2 Hitler(TobiasMoretti)andSpeeratareception:scene
fromSpeer&Hitler(2005) 212
9.3 Speer(SebastianKoch)firstencountersHitler(Tobias
Moretti)atapartyrally:scenefromSpeer&Hitler(2005) 219
9.4 Speer(SebastianKoch)accompaniesHitler(Tobias
Moretti)onhiswalksontheObersalzberg:scenefrom
Speer&Hitler(2005) 222
9.5 HitlerinthemidstofSpeer’smodelofGermania:scene
fromBreloer’sSpeer&Hitler(2005) 228
Platesection(followingpage96)
HitlerinLeniRiefenstahl’sTriumphoftheWill(1935),top,anda
pre-warNazipropagandafilm,bottom