You Natzy Spy (1940)

            The first actor to portray Hitler in a movie was Moe Howard of the Three Stooges. “You Natzy Spy” was made after Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator”, but released before it. The short begins with the disclaimer: “Any resemblance between the characters in this picture and any persons, living or dead, is a miracle.” The Stooges underestimated themselves because their portrayals of Hitler, Goering, and Goebbels would not have fooled any audience members. It was their 44^th short out of 190 they did for Columbia Pictures from 1934-1959. It has a sequel called “I’ll Never Heil Again”. 

            The short opens with three munitions makers complaining about the lack of profits. “There’s no money in peace.” They live in Moronika. They decide to oust the pacifist king and replace him with the stupidest man they can find. It just so happens the Stooges are working as wallpaper hangers in the house. So, Moe Hailstone becomes dictator. Curly Gallstone becomes Goering (with a uniform that has medals on the front and back), and Larry Pebble becomes Goebbels. When Moe asks what a dictator does, he is told, “He gives the people nothing and takes from them everything.” Moe accidentally rubs some black paint under his nose, in case anyone is wondering who he is portraying. Moe gives a speech from a balcony with Larry holding up applause signs. He introduces their slogan: “Moronica for Morons!” (A dig at the Nazis’ “Germany for Germans!”)  Some of the speech is in Hitleresque gibberish. They have a run-in with a beautiful spy named Mattie Herring (Lorna Gray, who lived to 99). To give you an idea of what level of comedy you are watching, the trio look at a map of the world that has places like the Sea of Biscuit, Bolonia, and the Bay of Windows. A meeting with foreign diplomats ends with Curly hitting them with golf balls. Spoiler alert: in the end, the Stooges are eaten by lions. (Unfortunately, the Stooges were not fortune tellers.)

            “You Natzy Spy” was a pretty daring film for its time. This was the era of the Hays Code (1934-1968). It was Hollywood’s creation to avoid government censorship by censoring itself. The code was strict. (It was probably stricter than the government would have been.) It forbid sexuality (nudity, homosexuality, sexy dances, etc.), crime (sympathetic portrayal of criminals, drug trafficking, white slavery), obscenity and profanity, making fun of religion, and interracial romance. It insisted good triumph over evil. The code was in effect until 1968, when it was replaced by the film rating system. Now films are not censored, but viewers are warned about stuff the Hays Code would have forbidden.

The code encouraged Hollywood to treat world figures (like Hitler) “fairly”. The Stooges certainly did not follow that advice, but the Hays Code didn’t police shorts as much as feature films. It was not just Hitler and his henchmen that are targeted. They are lampooned, but the munitions makers are portrayed as evil. The audience would have nodded their heads at this portrayal because there was a strong belief that the munitions makers were a cause of America’s entry into WWI. This makes the film a bit contradictory because it clearly is anti-Nazi and would have resonated with people who thought we needed to intervene, but it reminded people that we had gotten into WWI under false pretenses.

            The film has all the characteristics of a Stooge short. It was rare that they took on politics, but it was not unique. Because of the subject matter, “You Natzy Spy” relies more on jokes than most of the shorts which are dominated by physical comedy. That does not mean you won’t see plenty of eye pokes. It means that you have to listen as well as watch. The dialogue is heavy on puns and word play. “We must throw off the yoke of monarchy and make our country safe for hypocrisy.” Most of the banter is silly. Moe: “We’ll start a blintzkreig.” Curly: “Oh, goodie! I just love blintzes. Especially with sour kreig.” As you can see, there are some Jewish cultural references. It is obvious the Stooges, who were Hebrew. cared about what was happening in Europe. Catching all the jokes can be a problem if you are not familiar with the slang of the time period. At one point, Curly answers Moe’s question with: “Because there are no bones in ice cream.” That line perplexed me until I read that it was a popular nonsensical answer to questions back then.

            If you are a Stooges fan, you’ll enjoy this short. And you might get more respect for them. Making the film was daring at a time when the “America First” movement was powerful. I imagine there were people who boycotted the film. Unlike the vast majority of their films, it has historical significance. BTW if you watch it with your kids, be aware that there are two “6-7”s in it.

GRADE  =  B

THE 100 BEST WAR MOVIES: 10. Downfall (2004)

 

               “Downfall” (Der Untergang) is a German/Italian/Austrian production directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel.  It covers the last ten days of Hitler’s life.  It is based on historian Joachim Fest’s Inside Hitler’s Bunker  and Traudl Junge’s Until the Final Hour and several other memoirs.  It was nominated for Best Foreign Film.  Bruno Ganz studied Parkinson’s patients to get Hitler’s twitching down.  The opening and closing interviews with Junge are from the documentary “Blind Spot”.

                The movie opens with the real Traudl Junge wondering why she worked for der Fuhrer.  Then we are in November, 1942 and Traudl (Alexandra Lara) is among a group of women who are hoping to become Hitler’s secretary.  The 1942 Hitler seems like a nice guy who loves his dog Blondi (uncredited).  She types like me, but she gets the job from charismatic Hitler.

               The movie jumps to April, 1945 and Hitler’s 56^th birthday.  There is chaos in the streets and a fantasy world underneath in Hitler’s Bunker.  Hitler (Ganz) meets with Albert Speer and the delusional Hitler opines that the current rubblization of Berlin is perfect for clearing the city for renovations.   The callous Hitler rants that the German people are weak and don’t deserve to survive.  They are unworthy of his brilliance.  When urged to escape from the city, sinking ship’s captain Hitler refuses saying "I will defeat them in Berlin, or face my downfall."

               Meanwhile, in the streets of Berlin, Peter Kranz plays our “every man” (actually “every youth” – make that Hitler Youth).  His father is a disabled vet who wants him to come home, but indoctrination works and getting an Iron Cross from paternal Hitler seals the deal.  Peter represents the state of the German army as the Russians close in.  This must be like the Rebels in Richmond in 1865, except for the killing of unpatriotic civilians.

               There is a subplot involving SS doctor Schenck (Christian Berkel) who represents humanity in the midst of all the violence, death, and insanity.  He is one of the eye-rolling, do the right thing anyway characters.  The movie also has disgusted-look, follow orders types like Gen. Mohnke and Gen. Weidling.  And then of course there are the sycophants kissing Hitler’s ass and weathering his rants like Goebbels, Krebs, and Burgdorf.  This fascinating mix of role-players maneuvers through the madness. This all leads to the (spoiler alert) death of der Fuhrer, after the romantic marriage of Adolf and Eva. If you ever wondered what happened to the other denizens of the Bunker, this is the movie for you.

ACTING:   A+               

ACTION:   N/A

ACCURACY: A+     

PLOT:  A               

REALISM:   A 

CINEMATOGRAPHY:   A

SCORE:   B

SCENE:  Hitler’s rant about Steiner not attacking

QUOTE:  Hitler:   That was an order! Steiner's assault was an order! Who do you think you are to dare disobey an order I give? So this is what it has come to! The military has been lying to me. Everybody has been lying to me, even the SS! Our generals are just a bunch of contemptible, disloyal cowards.

General Burgdorf: I can't permit you to insult the soldiers.

Hitler: They are cowards, traitors and failures!

General Burgdorf: My fuhrer, this is outrageous!

Hitler: Our generals are the scum of the German people! Not a shred of honour! They call themselves generals. Years at military academy just to learn how to hold a knife and fork! For years, the military has hindered my plans! They've put every kind of obstacle in my way! What I should have done... was liquidate all the high-ranking officers, as Stalin did!

HISTORICAL ACCURACY:  “Downfall” is one of the most historically accurate films I have seen.  The research was exhaustive with six books being consulted.  Having read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer (twice) and Cornelius Ryan’s The Last Battle, I can attest to the movie hitting all the highlights of the last ten days.  Also, having read Albert Speer's Inside the Third Reich,  I have to say you have to be a little skeptical about how some of the characters are protrayed based on how they wanted themselves to be portrayed.  Speer comes off very well in this movie as he does in his book.  Anyone not wanting to do all that reading can avoid it by watching this movie.  And yes I realize the movie has subtiltes, but it's not like you're having to read a whole book.  It is a better tutorial than any documentary could be.

               All of the characters are real people except Peter Kranz and his father.  Even Junge (who is reminiscent of Costner’s O’Donnell in “Thirteen Days”) is an actual person and her memoirs were one of the sources.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that Schenck was also a real person.  Normally, those roles are invented to enhance the narrative. The dialogue is as authentic as you can get given the circumstances.  Some of Hitler’s lines that showcase his philosophy are quotes taken from statements he made earlier in his life  A good example would be this: " Life doesn't forgive weakness. This so-called humanity is religious drivel. Compassion is an eternal sin. To feel compassion for the weak is a betrayal of nature. The strong can only triumph if the weak are exterminated. Being loyal to this law, I've never had compassion. I've always been ruthless when faced with internal opposition from other races. That's the only way to deal with it."

CRITIQUE:  Aside from the interview opening, the plot is linear with no frills.  In many ways the movie is a character study of not only Hitler, but also his inner circle.  Herein lies some controversy.  These individuals are portrayed as human beings, not demons.  Some reviewers had trouble with the multidimensional depiction of Hitler.  I would not go so far as to describe him as a sympathetic figure, but Ganz does give him a warped humanity at times.  As I noted, Hitler could be charismatic, delusional, callous , paternal, angry, disappointed, etc  Without this movie, many would be unaware of Hitler’s charisma and the fact that he had a powerful effect on women in particular.  It’s the females in the movie that are most loyal to him.  He is far from a one-dimensional villain.  In some ways, the subtitles are valuable because by forcing you to read the evil that comes out of his mouth, you can get past the malevolent charm.

               The acting is outstanding.  Ganz is amazing in one of the greatest performances I have seen.  It was a travesty that he did not get an Academy Award nomination.  He is mesmerizing.  Not surprising as he has a reputation as one of the best German actors.  The supporting cast is very strong.  The characters run the gamut of personality types.  There are no weak links  Watch the various looks on the inner circles' faces when Hitler speaks.  Priceless.  It’s one of the reasons why the You Tube take-offs on the” Steiner rant” can be hilarious.

               The cinematography is equal to the script and acting.  The movie flows seamlessly between the claustrophobic underground scenes and the chaotically violent outdoor scenes.  In the corridors of the impressively recreated Bunker, the camera often tracks the actors from behind and then reacquires them from in front.  Deftly done  There are lots of shots through doorways, giving the audience the impression of looking in on an evil dysfunctional family.  The outdoor scenes were filmed in Petersburg and look like Berlin in the last days.  The music is spare and does not steer our emotions.

               The movie does have some clear themes.  One is the delusion that persists in the upper levels of a government that is losing a war.  Probably a similar vibe was evident in Hirohito’s inner circle in August, 1945.  It is interesting how sane people (and you have to admit that regardless of your take on the portrayal of Hitler, he was not insane) can delude themselves when everything points to disaster.  What's more unbelievable, but true, is how soldiers will fight on in spite of the futility of it.  A second theme is how non-evil people will tolerate close contact with malevolent beings and even work hand in hand with them.  A subtheme would be the ability of some, but not all, of these to remain innocent.  Junge would be an example of this type of person, although her statements at the end of the film struck me as being a bit revisionist.  A third theme is the naivete of youth.  This is portrayed by both Junge and Peter.

CONCLUSION:  “Downfall” is an outstanding movie.  It tops two other worthy efforts on this topic – “The Last Ten Days” with Alec Guinness and “The Bunker” with Alan Hopkins. You have to admit that Hitler attracts great actors.  I do not see how the movie could be improved.  It is a well-staged tutorial on one of the most famous deaths in history and it includes enough action to satisfy a war movie lover.

NOW SHOWING: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin (2024)

 

         

           “Bonhoeffer” is a new war movie that surprisingly played at a theater nearby. Usually, small war movies do not appear in theaters in my area, so I was perplexed, but pleased. As soon as the credits rolled, I knew why the movie was playing nearby. The movie was made by Angel Studios and it was approved by the Angel Guild. Angel Studios has built a reputation for producing movies with Christian themes. It released “Sound of Freedom” and the tv series “The Chosen”. Since I never read anything about upcoming war movies, this was my first clue that the movie was going to a heavy dose of preaching. It was directed and written by Todd Komarnicki (“Resistance”). It has been controversial.

            The opening occurs in 1914. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is from a big family. He has an idyllic childhood based on that one scene. The movie jumps to 1945 and Dietrich is on a bus full of concentration camp inmates. Then its back to 1915 and Dietrich’s older brother has been drafted by the German army. He won’t be coming back. He leaves Dietrich a Bible with “all the good parts underlined”. The movie is nonlinear with flashbacks to events in his life that lead to his incarceration. Dietrich has taken a path to a religious service. He spends some time at a seminary in New York where he is befriended by a black man. He experiences the racism, but also is exposed to jazz. He returns to Germany around the time that Hitler and the Nazis are taking power. His family discusses this at the dinner table and their conversation mirrors the two views on the subject. Some believe Hitler will never take power and others say that he will, but there is nothing to worry about. He doesn’t mean all those things he says. There is a different debate within the German Lutheran church. Dietrich and others think the church should distance itself from Nazi doctrines like anti-semitism. Others see Hitler as a disciple of Christ who will increase the power of the church. His first sermon takes the theme that Jesus hated religion. He criticizes the church for getting in bed with the Nazis. Priests and uniformed Nazis walk out. Unfortunately, he is in the minority. The church removes crucifixes, statues, and the Old Testament. It is replaced by “Mein Kampf”. His Sunday school pupils are now in the Hitler Youth. He becomes a dissident. One of his famous proclamations was “silence in the face of evil is evil.” He secretly trains seminarians. He then is recruited by his brother-in-law to join the Abwehr. The Abwehr was an intelligence department that had antil—Hitler members. They attempt to assassinate Hitler. His participation leads to his arrest.

            “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin” has a title that appears to be only 1/3 correct. There is little in the movie about him (Jonas Dassler)  spying and although he knew about the assassination attempt portrayed in the movie, he is not an active participant. The movie is mainly about his ministry. He was very brave for vocally opposing Nazism and criticizing the church hierarchy. The plot makes it seem that he was left alone by the authorities until he was arrested (off screen). He certainly was inflammatory and yet there seemed to be little consequences. At one point, he watches a clandestine movie showing a concentration camp. But this is the only thing that reminds us of how evil the Nazis are. The film is not so much anti-Nazi as it is pro-Christian. It is also anti-racism. The scenes in America boost this theme. It seems an attempt to tie the movie to America for box office purposes.

            Critics of the movie claim that it is propaganda for Christian nationalism in America. I did not get that impression. In fact, in two scenes pastors criticize the church’s collaboration with the Nazis. It could be argued that the film is equating evangelism in America with politicians who have fascist leanings. I do not think Bonhoeffer would be pleased with the trend in America today.

            The movie is not as cringe as a nonreligious viewer might expect. Almost every scene has a religious vibe. Much of the dialogue is religious. There are several hymns in it. Since Bonhoeffer was a noted theologist, his dialogue does not seem forced. The “pastor” in the title is well-earned. That dialogue comes from an actor who does a decent job channeling Bonhoeffer’s charismatic proselytizing. 

            Since it is a biopic, there were scenes that stretched credulity. The type of scenes that make my trip to Wikipedia interesting. For example, after Dietrich joins the Abwehr (which seems hard to believe because he was a known anti-Nazi), he and his brother-in-law are tasked with bringing some Jewish prisoners to Switzerland where they will testify that the Jewish people were not being mistreated. The two men are not accompanied by anyone. When they reach the border, they set the Jews free! There is no punishment for this. As I watched the movie I couldn’t help but wonder why this guy is not being arrested. He does not hide his identity when he speaks out against Nazi control of the Lutheran church. Heck, I expected one of the bishops to beg the Gestapo to arrest him. The film has no evil Nazi who is tracking Bonheoffer. In fact, the only Nazi character who interacts with him is a guard who is converted.

            The nonlinear structure causes some awkwardness for history buffs. At first, the film uses title cards, but then abandons them as Bonhoeffer hops around. Sometimes the dialogue references events that have not occurred at the time of the scene. For instance, being “sent to the Eastern Front” is threatened in a scene that had to be before the invasion of Russia. In another scene, Bonhoeffer goes to England to get a bomb for another assassination attempt, but Churchill turns him down because he does not want British fingerprints on a bomb because it might cause Hitler to invade. This is laughable.

            How accurate is it? Bonhoeffer was the son of a father who was a psychiatrist  and a neurologist. His mother was a teacher whose father was a theologian. Dietrich was well-educated and learned to play the piano at age 8. His brother was killed in WWI. Dietrich got a doctorate in theology. He went to America to teach at an American seminary. That is where he developed an abhorrence of racial injustice. He did have a black friend named Frank Fisher and he did spend time at the Abyssinian Baptist Church and taught Sunday school there. The movie “All Quiet on the Western Front” turned him against Christian nationalism and made him a pacifist. (The movie has been criticized by Christians for showing him favoring the murder of Hitler. Thou shalt not kill.) The film does not do a good job in explaining Bonhoeffer’s journey. The Lutheran church did support Nazism and it removed non-Aryans from its clergy and the Old Testament from its dogma. Martin Niemoller (August Diehl) did break from the church and formed the Confessing Church. In 1937, Bonhoeffer published a book entitled “The Cost of Discipleship”. (The movie barely mentions him being an influential author.) The next two years he roamed Germany as a visiting theologian. In 1939, he moved to the U.S. because he was a wanted man, but he returned after just two weeks. (The movie places this as right before the assassination.) The assassination is the one by Rudolf-Christoph von Gersdorff. The movie does a good job reenacting this (although the Hitler actor is terrible and he was not alone. He was accompanied by several of his henchmen, including Goering). Hitler rushed through the exhibit in much less than Gersdorff’s ten minute timer. Gersdorff did defuse the bomb in the bathroom.  Bonhoeffer’s brother-in-law was in the Abwehr and he did recruit Dietrich, as hard as this is to believe. The Abwehr was a haven for anti-Nazis. Dietrich did help with Jewish escapes (Operation 7), but not in the way the movie depicts. The movie does not show his work as a courier for the German resistance which he did when he was supposed to be spying on churches. In 1943, he was arrested for conspiring to rescue Jews and using his travels for non-intelligence activities. Bonhoeffer did convert some guards in prison. After all his provocative comments, he probably would have survived the war, but when Hitler found out the contents of Abwehr head Admiral William Canaris’ diary, he ordered anyone connected with him to be executed. He was executed by hanging in April, 1945. So, the movie is pretty accurate. That balances the overt religiousity of the film.

            “Bonheoffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin” is an average biopic of a man who deserved cinematic fame, although the opening statement by the director that he was one of he biggest heroes of the war is a bit exaggerated. The nonlinear structure is a bit clunky and it is not a movie that many atheists will enjoy. However, Bonhoeffer’s preachings can resonate with anyone who believes that humanity and the soul of the individual trumps political ideology. And the belief that one must speak out against injustice even if you are not personally affected by it. “When they came for the Jews, I did not speak out, because I am not a Jew….”

 

GRADE  =  C