The Goebbels Experiment (2005)

Through archival footage and dramatic readings of his personal writings, the life of Nazi Germany's Propaganda Minister, Josef Goebbels, is examined.

Director:

Lutz Hachmeister

Writers:

Lutz Hachmeister, Michael Kloft

Stars:

Udo Samel, Kenneth Branagh, Heinrich Brüning

Cast

Credited cast:
Udo Samel	...	Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kenneth Branagh	...	Narrator (voice)
Heinrich Brüning	...	Self (archive footage)
Winston Churchill	...	Self (archive footage)
Engelbert Dollfuss	...	Self (archive footage)
Wilhelm Frick	...	Self (archive footage)
Joseph Goebbels	...	Self (archive footage) (as Josef Goebbels)
Magda Goebbels	...	Self (archive footage)
Hermann Göring	...	Self (archive footage)
Veit Harlan	...	Self (archive footage)
Rudolf Hess	...	Self (archive footage)
Heinrich Himmler	...	Self (archive footage)
Adolf Hitler	...	Self (archive footage)
Alfred Hugenberg	...	Self (archive footage)
Joe Louis	...	Self (archive footage)

Storyline

The Nazi propaganda mastermind behind Hitler speaks in first person as actor Kenneth Branagh reads pages of the diary kept by the chief of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, revealing the man's most inner thoughts. Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945) was a symbol of Germany's Nazi regime and a twentieth-century icon of maniacal cruelty. His name has been synonymous with cynical, unscrupulous, and at times successful, propaganda. The life of Joseph Goebbels is far more complicated and disturbing than labels like "genius of spin" or "Reich Liar-General" would suggest. The chronicle shows how Goebbels continually "restaged" and reinvented himself -- from his early days as a radical "popular socialist" to his tragic end. The film lets Goebbels speak for himself through the diaries he kept without interruption from 1924 to 1945, as never before seen historical footage from German archives traces the life of the second most powerful man of the Third Reich, detailing his initial attraction to the Nazi ...

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Plot Keywords:

propaganda | nazi | diary | nazi germany | voice over narration | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Quotes

Narrator: Hitler had phoned. He wanted to welcome us and in fifteen minutes he was there, tall, healthy and vigorous. I like him. He puts us to shame with his kindness.

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Connections

Features Uncle Kruger (1941)

User Reviews

An important film

Everyone once in a while a film comes along that people need to see. This is especially true concerning events of global consequence, Nazi Germany most specifically. And while films such as Schindler's List are invaluable in personalizing the tragedy of millions, they are emotionally based, as they should be. But what "The Goebbels Experiment" does is that it makes us think about why and how one man (and so many others) could come to bring about and participate in atrocities. The film doesn't talk much about the nature of the propaganda itself -- it's not a legit documentary about Goebbels, but a strict series of readings from his diaries -- but to hear Goebbels talking, we can hear echoes of the terrible propagandists that have brought about so much disaster in the years since. There is much to be learned from this film, particularly in seeing up close what could make a human being into a monster. It happens easier and more often than you'd think, and this film, while sometimes a bit dull and one-dimensional, does accomplish that purpose. You don't have to be an expert on World War II or Nazi Germany to appreciate the film, but it does help provide contextual understanding. I think this is a worthwhile film along the lines of any film about the Third Reich; the lessons must be learned, and the intervening years have proved just how much we have failed to learn them.

Details

Official Sites:

First Run Features

Country:

Germany UK

Language:

German English

Release Date:

13 April 2005 (Germany)

Also Known As:

The Goebbels Experiment

Filming Locations:

Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,769, 14 August 2005

Gross USA:

$47,211

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$47,211

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Color:

Color Black and White