The Nightmare Years (1989– )

Based on the historical work "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", "The Nightmare Years" tells the story of William Shirer, American journalist who, during his days of correspondence as a... See full summary »

Stars:

Frances Barber, Bill Bailey, Péter Benkö

Cast

Series cast summary:
Frances Barber	...	Helga Bauer (2 episodes, 1989)

Storyline

Based on the historical work "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", "The Nightmare Years" tells the story of William Shirer, American journalist who, during his days of correspondence as a foreign press in report in 1930s Germany, had to deal with the growing oppression of the Nazi regime, the increasing censorship of the press, and finally the prospect of World War. In the last days of peace, Shirer also struggles to have his German wife and child escape to the United States

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Plot Keywords:

tv mini series

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Años de pesadilla

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Consolidated Productions, Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions, Rafshoon Communications

Technical Specs

Runtime:

374 min 374 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Well worth watching

A must for students and others interested in the 2nd World War, especially the behind-the-scenes machinations of the Nazi's. Sam Waterston was tremendous in the leading role and well supported by Marthe Keller as his wife, while Ronald Pickup deserves a mention as 'putzi' Hanfstaengl, an old acquaintance of Hitlers in the early days. Although it was somewhat embellished here and there, it is a faithful enough depiction that keeps all viewers engrossed at the absurdities of Herr Goebbels' propaganda machine.

While the length of the movie at almost 6 hours may seem over-long for some, it is just about enough given the content, which spans Shirer's first visit to Berlin (1934) since he left 10 years earlier; and there is more than enough action and suspense to keep the movie from flagging; gradually pulling one into the 'nightmare' that was the 3rd Reich.