Hitler
9-11 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday, May 18 and 20
CBS
Part history, part cautionary tale, "Hitler" rumbles onto the sweep scene like one of those tornadoes that recently bedeviled the Midwest -- powerful, awesome and traveling in a somewhat unpredictable pattern.
The initial announcement of this four-hour event was met with skepticism. Any fears, however, that this production would glorify the greatest monster of the 20th century are unfounded. Indeed, Adolf Hitler's psychopathic personality is evident even before the completion of the opening credits.
The other controversy surrounding the project was the sacking of Alliance Atlantis executive and exec producer Ed Gernon over remarks that suggested the possibility of parallels between contemporary America and a fearful Germany after World War I. The observation, while debatable, has as much merit as many propositions over which historians argue.
Considering Gernon's major role in a miniseries that forcefully warns of the soft spots in democracy's underbelly, his firing seems at the very least ironic.
Public justification for the project has been that despite an abundance of movies on World War II and, particularly, the Holocaust, little has been done to show how Adolf Hitler, an outwardly pathetic and awkward individual, was able to grab the reins of power on behalf of his demented vision and plunge the world into the largest darkness it has known. In this, "Hitler" admirably succeeds.
From his start as an obscure zealot who blends strident anti-Semitism with fervent nationalism, we are shown how, year by year, rung by rung, Hitler climbed the ladder of political success. The first night ends with Hitler's mild punishment following his failed Munich beer hall putsch in 1923. The second night takes us through 1934, when Hitler wrests complete control of the German government.
The miniseries is a triumph of collaboration by Robert Carlyle, who plays Hitler, and director Christian Duguay. Carlyle brilliantly depicts a humorless and twisted Hitler who becomes more brazen and intimidating over time. It is a characterization of evil that lingers long after the miniseries ends.
Frame after frame, Duguay never lets viewers forget how Hitler, though ungraceful and slight of physical stature, nonetheless imposed his will on others through ruthless intimidation, brazen self-confidence, willful manipulation and occasional violence.
The project is marked by meticulous istoric research, almost to the detriment of the script from John Pielmeier and G. Ross Parker. Striving to be true to fact as much as possible meant, in this case, that several main characters were absent from scenes for long stretches and that dialogue carried an unduly heavy burden of historical exposition. This is not to argue with the compromises, only to note that some simply had to be made.
There was no compromise, however, in production values. Production designer Marek Dobrowolski takes full advantage of the Prague location to create convincing settings inside and out. He and costume designer Maria Schicker enhance the production with their careful attention to detail. n
HITLER: THE RISE OF EVIL
CBS
Alliance Atlantis
Credits:
Executive producers: Peter Sussman, Ed Gernon
Co-executive producers: Diana Kerew, Christian Duguay
Co-producer: John Pielmeier
Producer: John Ryan
Supervising producers: Ian McDougall, Philip Von Alvensleben
Director: Christian Duguay
Writers: John Pielmeier, G. Ross Parker
Director of photography: Pierre Gill
Production designer: Marek Dobrowolski
Editors: Hank Van Eeghen, Sylvain Lebel
Music: Normand Corbeil
Costume designer: Maria Schicker
Casting: Deirdre Bowen, Susan Glicksman, Alex Wald, Sue Jones
Cast:
Adolf Hitler: Robert Carlyle
President Hindenburg: Peter O'Toole
Klara Hitler: Stockard Channing
Geli Raubal: Jena Malone
Helene Hanfstaengl: Julianna Margulies
Fritz Gerlich: Matthew Modine
Ernst Hanfstaengl: Liev Schreiber
Ernst Rohm: Peter Stormare
Gen Erich Von Ludendorff: Friedrich Von Thun
Eva Braun: Zoe Telford...
CBS
Part history, part cautionary tale, "Hitler" rumbles onto the sweep scene like one of those tornadoes that recently bedeviled the Midwest -- powerful, awesome and traveling in a somewhat unpredictable pattern.
The initial announcement of this four-hour event was met with skepticism. Any fears, however, that this production would glorify the greatest monster of the 20th century are unfounded. Indeed, Adolf Hitler's psychopathic personality is evident even before the completion of the opening credits.
The other controversy surrounding the project was the sacking of Alliance Atlantis executive and exec producer Ed Gernon over remarks that suggested the possibility of parallels between contemporary America and a fearful Germany after World War I. The observation, while debatable, has as much merit as many propositions over which historians argue.
Considering Gernon's major role in a miniseries that forcefully warns of the soft spots in democracy's underbelly, his firing seems at the very least ironic.
Public justification for the project has been that despite an abundance of movies on World War II and, particularly, the Holocaust, little has been done to show how Adolf Hitler, an outwardly pathetic and awkward individual, was able to grab the reins of power on behalf of his demented vision and plunge the world into the largest darkness it has known. In this, "Hitler" admirably succeeds.
From his start as an obscure zealot who blends strident anti-Semitism with fervent nationalism, we are shown how, year by year, rung by rung, Hitler climbed the ladder of political success. The first night ends with Hitler's mild punishment following his failed Munich beer hall putsch in 1923. The second night takes us through 1934, when Hitler wrests complete control of the German government.
The miniseries is a triumph of collaboration by Robert Carlyle, who plays Hitler, and director Christian Duguay. Carlyle brilliantly depicts a humorless and twisted Hitler who becomes more brazen and intimidating over time. It is a characterization of evil that lingers long after the miniseries ends.
Frame after frame, Duguay never lets viewers forget how Hitler, though ungraceful and slight of physical stature, nonetheless imposed his will on others through ruthless intimidation, brazen self-confidence, willful manipulation and occasional violence.
The project is marked by meticulous istoric research, almost to the detriment of the script from John Pielmeier and G. Ross Parker. Striving to be true to fact as much as possible meant, in this case, that several main characters were absent from scenes for long stretches and that dialogue carried an unduly heavy burden of historical exposition. This is not to argue with the compromises, only to note that some simply had to be made.
There was no compromise, however, in production values. Production designer Marek Dobrowolski takes full advantage of the Prague location to create convincing settings inside and out. He and costume designer Maria Schicker enhance the production with their careful attention to detail. n
HITLER: THE RISE OF EVIL
CBS
Alliance Atlantis
Credits:
Executive producers: Peter Sussman, Ed Gernon
Co-executive producers: Diana Kerew, Christian Duguay
Co-producer: John Pielmeier
Producer: John Ryan
Supervising producers: Ian McDougall, Philip Von Alvensleben
Director: Christian Duguay
Writers: John Pielmeier, G. Ross Parker
Director of photography: Pierre Gill
Production designer: Marek Dobrowolski
Editors: Hank Van Eeghen, Sylvain Lebel
Music: Normand Corbeil
Costume designer: Maria Schicker
Casting: Deirdre Bowen, Susan Glicksman, Alex Wald, Sue Jones
Cast:
Adolf Hitler: Robert Carlyle
President Hindenburg: Peter O'Toole
Klara Hitler: Stockard Channing
Geli Raubal: Jena Malone
Helene Hanfstaengl: Julianna Margulies
Fritz Gerlich: Matthew Modine
Ernst Hanfstaengl: Liev Schreiber
Ernst Rohm: Peter Stormare
Gen Erich Von Ludendorff: Friedrich Von Thun
Eva Braun: Zoe Telford...
- 5/13/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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