Mein Führer - Die wirklich wahrste Wahrheit über Adolf Hitler (2007)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Dani Levy

Writer:

Dani Levy (written by)

Release Date:

August 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Plot Keywords:

Paul Joseph Goebbels | Dog | Assassination Attempt | Plot To Kill Hitler | Speech

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Helge Schneider	...	Adolf Hitler
Ulrich Mühe	...	Prof. Adolf Israel Grünbaum
Sylvester Groth	...	Dr. Joseph Goebbels
Adriana Altaras	...	Elsa Grünbaum
Stefan Kurt	...	Albert Speer
Ulrich Noethen	...	Heinrich Himmler
Lambert Hamel	...	Obergruppenführer Rattenhuber
Udo Kroschwald	...	Martin Bormann
Torsten Michaelis	...	SS-Wachmann Moltke
Axel Werner	...	Erich Kempka
Victor Schefé	...	Rottenführer Puffke
Lars Rudolph	...	Kammerdiener Heinz Linge
Wolfgang Becker	...	KZ-Kommandant Banner
Bernd Stegemann	...	Dr. Morell
Shawn Karlborg	...	Adam Grünbaum
Paula Knüpling	...	Judith Grünbaum
Daniel Morocha	...	Jacob Grünbaum
Leonard Altaras	...	Benny Grünbaum
Regine Hentschel	...	Köchin Konstanze
Bruno Apitz	...	KZ-Wärtor (as Bruno F. Apitz)
Hinnerk Schönemann	...	Gestapo Offizier
Ueli Jäggi	...	SS-Rottenführer
Natascha Bub	...	UFA-Schauspielerin
Andrea Bongers	...	Sekretärin von Banner
Matthias Matschke	...	ZK-Wachmann
Ilja Richter	...	Kurt Gerheim
Katja Riemann	...	Eva Braun
Meret Becker	...	Sekretärin
Marion Kracht	...	Maskenbildnerin Rosemarie Riefenstahl
Tim Fischer	...	Kempkas Geliebte
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Karsten Bähn	...	Soldat 118
Volker Behrens	...	Blockwart
René Böhnke	...	Uniformierter
Sebastian Fuhrmann	...	Soldat 101
Angelika Gersdorf	...	Besucherin einer Kundgebung
Harald Günther	...	Mann mit Stahlhelm
Thomas Hirschfeld	...	KZ-Häftling
Britta Horn	...	Telefonistin
Rüdiger Kühmstedt	...	Kriminalbeamter
Karin Meschkat	...	Jubelnde Frau
Daniel Noack	...	Offizier
Mathias Schimpf	...	Soldat
Jana C. Schmidt	...	UFA-Schauspielerin
Christian Schneider	...	KZ-Häftling
Michael Schweitzer	...	Fahnenträger
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Dani Levy

Writing credits
Dani Levy		(written by)

Produced by
Stefan Arndt	....	producer
Barbara Buhl	....	executive producer: WDR
Marcos Kantis	....	line producer
Bettina Reitz	....	executive producer: BR
Andreas Schreitmüller	....	executive producer: Arte

Original Music by
Niki Reiser

Cinematography by
Carl-Friedrich Koschnick		(as Carl-F Koschnick)
Carsten Thiele

Film Editing by
Peter R. Adam

Production Design by
Christian Eisele

Set Decoration by
Christoph Merg

Costume Design by
Nicole Fischnaller

Makeup Department
Dörte Eben	....	additional makeup artist
Gregor Eckstein	....	special makeup effects artist
Jeannette Latzelsberger	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Andreas Dobers	....	post-production supervisor
Peter Hartwig	....	production manager
Boris Mang	....	post-production manager
Verena Rahmig	....	post-production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tobias Asam	....	third assistant director
Tanja Däberitz	....	second assistant director
Arndt Wiegering	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Ulrike Eversmeier	....	assistant to production designer
Eckart Friz	....	stand-by prop
Donna Hanisch	....	graphic artist
Bele Schneider	....	property master
Alwara Thaler	....	assistant prop buyer

Sound Department
Hubert Bartholomae	....	sound re-recording mixer
Raoul Grass	....	sound mixer
Pit Kuhlmann	....	sound supervisor
Jörn Poetzl	....	foley artist
Philipp Sellier	....	foley editor
Christian Wegner	....	sound mixer: reshoot

Visual Effects by
Joerg Bruemmer	....	digital compositor
Manfred Büttner	....	visual effects
Markus Degen	....	digital effects supervisor
Markus Degen	....	lead compositor
Alex Friedrich	....	senior model maker
Dirk Frischmuth	....	digital compositor
Andreas Fröhlich	....	telecine colorist
Florian Gellinger	....	digital compositor
Frank Hellmann	....	film recording operator
Claudia Lechen	....	digital compositor
Eva Matthes	....	digital compositor
Dirk Matzkuhn	....	digital compositor
Sandra Moll	....	visual effects producer
Niels Müller	....	model maker
Sven Pannicke	....	visual effects producer
Iris Paschedag	....	draughtsman: model unit
Christian Pundschus	....	digital effects artist
Frank Schlegel	....	supervising model maker
Frank Schlegel	....	visual effects supervisor
Cindy Schnitter	....	assistant modelmaker
Heiko Schweizer	....	digital compositor
Tim Stern	....	digital compositor
Sebastian von Overheidt	....	digital compositor
Michael Wagner	....	digital compositor
Jonathan Weber	....	digital compositor
Simon Weisse	....	model maker: senior modeller
Bastian Schreitling	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
Oliver Fritsche	....	stunt rigger
Christof Genesis	....	stunts
Armin Sauer	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Daniel Böse	....	video operator
Katharina Dießner	....	clapper loader
Arnd Geißheimer	....	assistant camera
Götz Holborn	....	electrician
Olaf Klein	....	clapper loader
Nadja Klier	....	still photographer
Tobias Kownatzki	....	additional second assistant camera
Heiko Lange	....	grip assistant
Andres Lizana Prado	....	assistant camera
Andre Poser	....	additional lighting technician
Thorsten Quick	....	electrician
Kolja Raschke	....	camera operator
Helen Sabatzki	....	assistant camera
Björn Schäfer	....	lighting technician
Susanne Schärf	....	assistant dolly grip
Nina Scheele	....	assistant camera
Michael Schmidt	....	best boy
Tommy Schulz	....	gaffer
Nico Storch	....	key grip

Editorial Department
Philip Whitfield	....	telecine colorist

Transportation Department
Nils Konrad	....	driver
Willi Lange	....	driver
Sebastian Raulin	....	driver

Other crew
Mathias Braun	....	location scout
Brian Cordray	....	script doctor
Jan Fees	....	assistant to line producer
Skady Lis	....	business and legal affairs
Verena Rahmig	....	production coordinator
Andro Steinborn	....	head of business and legal affairs

Thanks
Wolfgang Becker	....	thanks
Roberto Benigni	....	thanks
Maria Schrader	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Arte
• Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)
• Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
• X-Filme Creative Pool
• Y Filme Directors Pool

Distributors

• First Run Features (2009) (USA) (all media)
• Albatros Film (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Bontonfilm (2007) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2007) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• X Verleih AG (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Beta Cinema (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Prorom Media-Trade (2007) (Romania) (all media)

Also Known As:

Mein Führer: The Truly Truest Truth About Adolf Hitler (International: English title)
My Fuhrer (USA)

Runtime:

Germany:89 min | Argentina:95 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | Hebrew | Yiddish

Color:

Color | Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | Hong Kong:IIA

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Arte

Trivia:

Klaus Maria Brandauer was considered for the role of Prof. Adolf Israel Grünbaum.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Making of 'Mein Führer' (2007) (TV)

intelligent Hitler parody

I thought about leaving the sneak preview theater, because I wasn't sure if I could stand Helge Schneider as Hitler. I personally dislike Helge Schneider movies. But i'm happy i gave it a second thought when i noticed that it is a Dani Levy movie. I think Levy is an excellent director.

The movie seems to be a low budget production due to the crappy CGI work but nonetheless, it's a good satire dealing with a serious topic in the right way... i think satire is an appropriate approach to deal with the person Hitler was. compared to "Der Untergang", which made Hitler a piece of "pop-culture" and tried to portray his character as real as possible, this movie criticizes that and fascism with black humor, sarcasm and creativity.

Sometimes i found it quite Chaplin-esk (you know "the great dictator") and that's not a bad reference. I was surprised Helge Schneider's performance was decent and not as stupid as in "Praxis Dr. Hasenbein" (no offense to Schneider fans, but i couldn't sit through that movie, so i turned it off after 30 minutes). Schneider is a good musician though.

Ulrich Mühe's performance is great as usual. Dr. Adolf Grünbaum is an actor who gets out of the concentration camp Sachsenhausen due to the order to teach Hitler the art of acting, to perform his speeches right to seduce the masses and make them believe they still could win the war. But Hitler lost faith in the over all victory, so it's a tough job for Grünbaum. Hitler is pretty neurotic and a bed-wetter, who was beaten up by his father. Which makes it hard for Grünbaum to simply kill Hitler, when he got the chance. Although this might sound like a flat comedy, it's really not! It's a satire, and satire hurts sometimes, like reality does.

I really liked the other actors, who played Hitler's staff officers. It was Goebbels i liked most. Kudos to the casting, because in this movie the audience hasn't the problem that it's hard to distinct one staff officer from another like in "Der Untergang". They really got different characters.

All in all, go watch this movie. It's pretty refreshing after the hype around "Der Untergang".