Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003) (TV)

Director:

Christian Duguay

Writers (WGA):

John Pielmeier (written by) and
G. Ross Parker (written by)

Release Date:

18 May 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History

Tagline:

"The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke

Plot:

A unique slant, profiling the life of Adolf Hitler as a child and his rise through the ranks of the National German Workers' Party prior to World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Germany | Austria | Reporter | Rise To Power

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Robert Carlyle	...	Adolf Hitler
Stockard Channing	...	Klara Hitler
Jena Malone	...	Geli Raubal
Julianna Margulies	...	Helene Hanfstaengl
Matthew Modine	...	Fritz Gerlich
Liev Schreiber	...	Ernst Hanfstaengl
Peter Stormare	...	Ernst Röhm
Friedrich von Thun	...	General Erich Ludendorff
Peter O'Toole	...	President Paul von Hindenburg
Zoe Telford	...	Eva Braun
Terence Harvey	...	Gustav von Kahr
Justin Salinger	...	Dr. Joseph Goebbels
Chris Larkin	...	Hermann Göring
James Babson	...	Rudolf Hess
Patricia Netzer	...	Sophie Gerlich

Also Known As:

Hitler: La naissance du mal (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

Australia:179 min (video version) | France:130 min | USA:240 min (including commercials) | Spain:177 min (DVD edition)

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Spain:13 | UK:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Prague, Czech Republic

Company:

Alliance Atlantis Communications

Trivia:

The producers originally wanted Ewan McGregor to play Hitler.

Goofs:

Factual errors: There is an assortment of minor factual errors (wrong medals or medal ribbons displayed on uniforms, anachronistic architectural features, etc).

Quotes:

Adolf Hitler: [speaking about Hindenburg's death] Today, the old Reich and it's finest leader enter Valhalla. At the same time, we mark the beginning of a new era. A time of peace and prosperity await us. The thousand year Reich has began. Sieg Heil!
[Crowd repeats phrase]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Cinemania: I anodos kai i ptosi tou Nazismou" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Horst Wessel Song

Excellent history and entertaining too

For a series that covers four hours and is constrained to history, this was not only educational but gripping drama too. I disagree with the popular pronouncement that this is some attempt to humanize Hitler. Hitler doesn't need humanizing, he was human and all that is necessary to fear somebody like Hitler is to understand his personal history better. This movie goes a long way towards doing that.

An important point that the series makes is that Hitler was not all there was to Nazi Germany, there was the Nazi party too and the social, historical and cultural forces that brought it into being. All these things are nicely fitted in to the story.

The cast is excellent and the acting is not bad for television and especially good for the characters we see. The cinematography -- or videography -- is excellent and little was spared to create an authentic sense of place. Costumes especially were thoughtful and well crafted.

Nazi Germany is one of those periods of history that will always have some corner that will make a good movie or good television and I hope this will not be the last.