Hitler: A Film from Germany (1977)

Director Hans-Jurgen Syberberg examines the rise and fall of the Third Reich in this brooding seven-hour masterpiece, which incorporates puppetry, rear-screen projection, and a Wagnerian ... See full summary »

Director:

Hans-Jürgen Syberberg

Writer:

Hans-Jürgen Syberberg

Stars:

Heinz Schubert, Peter Kern, Hellmut Lange

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Heinz Schubert	...	Zirkusdirektor / Heinrich Himmler / Himmler-Puppenspieler / Adolf Hitler
Peter Kern	...	Mörder aus 'M' / Göring-Puppenspieler / Alter Ellerkamp / SS-Mann / Fremdenverkehrsdirektor
Hellmut Lange	...	Hitlers Kammerdiener / Goebbels-Puppenspieler / SS-Mann
Rainer von Artenfels	...	Jahrmarkt-Ausrufer / Hitler-Puppenspieler / Junger Goebbels / Schüler des Kosmologen / SS-Mann
Martin Sperr	...	Himmlers Masseur / Fitzliputzli / Bürgermeister
Peter Moland	...	Astrologe / Speer-Puppenspieler / SS-Mann
Johannes Buzalski	...	Hitler als Anstreicher / Eva Braun-Puppenspieler / Mann der Gesellschaft 1923
Alfred Edel	...	Stimmen der Leute / Mann der Geschichte 1923
Amelie Syberberg	...	Das kleine Mädchen
Harry Baer	...	Self / Junger Ellerkamp
Peter Lühr	...	Wissenschaftler / Kosmologe
André Heller	...	Narrator / Self

Storyline

Director Hans-Jurgen Syberberg examines the rise and fall of the Third Reich in this brooding seven-hour masterpiece, which incorporates puppetry, rear-screen projection, and a Wagnerian score into a singular epic vision. Syberberg, who grew up under Nazi tyranny, ruminates on good and evil and the rest of humanity's complicity in the horrors of the holocaust.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to george melies | background | theater scene | reference to richard wagner | ambiguity | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Final part of Hans-Jürgen Syberberg's trilogy on German history, also including Ludwig - Requiem for a Virgin King (1972) and Karl May (1974).

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Connections

References Greed (1924)

User Reviews

A Collosal work of cinematic art

I came across this film by accident whilst trying to locate another German made film and on discovering that the entire 7 hours is available free in real-time I began to watch. Those seven hours flew by and by the end I was left feeling stunned and somehow very insignificant. This is not a film to invite a few pals round for and throw pizza and beer in for good measure. This is a film to watch alone or maybe with someone who is interested in cinema as a means of transcending time and place. The images and audio presentations you will see and hear may well change your perceptions on life itself. Why this film is so little known is a mystery and perhaps it is only for the few and not the masses. It hits a spot somewhere deep inside and nestles in there and will never be entirely removed. See it and understand why 80 million Germans believed Hitler, a maniac, became for many, a god.

Details

Country:

West Germany France UK

Language:

German English French Russian

Release Date:

7 June 1978 (France)

Also Known As:

Hitler - Um Filme da Alemanha

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Studios, Bavariafilmplatz 7, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TMS Film GmbH, Solaris Film, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

442 min 407 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1