The Nazis: A Warning from History
The Nazis: A Warning from History
| 10 September 1997 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
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  • Reviews
    Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
    Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
    Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
    Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
    Dalbert Pringle .... A Warning From History (!?) When it comes to being honestly and thoroughly educated about the reality of the "Holocaust" - I'd say - Forget about watching Spielberg's "Schindler's List", and, instead, focus your full attention on this riveting and, yes, chilling 1997 documentary from the BBC, titled (what else?) "The Nazis".Through interviews with Holocaust survivors, witnesses, participants, and even close associates of Hitler's, along with plenty of excellent vintage, newsreel footage - This 6-chapter, 4-hour documentary will undoubtedly give you a much better understanding as to why something as horrific as the Holocaust actually happened.I mean, it's certainly mind-boggling to believe that so many millions of intelligent people were, in fact, duped and seduced by the likes of Adolf Hitler, a quirky, carpet-chewing, tantrum-throwing, evil-eyed misfit/scoundrel if there ever was one..... Was it all done "For The Love Of Thy Fuhrer" (??) - See for yourself.
    Michael Wehle Six 45-minute episodes are arranged chronologically, from the NSDAP rise in the context of the social and political turmoil which followed the first world war to Hitler's suicide in April 1945, and arranged thematically, dealing with the origins of the party, the road to the Chancellery, Anschluss, resettlement in the East, the death camps, and finally the Reich's collapse.The first episode mentions the workers revolution that briefly took control of München, and shows how the number of Jews among the Communist leadership supported widespread theories of a Jewish-Communist alliance. Street-fighting between Communists and reactionaries is chronicled, explicating the German populace's understandable desire for law and order.Local operation of the Gestapo, the surprisingly low count of actual employees and the extent to which surveillance by neighbors led to non-conformant citizens' denunciation and imprisonment is illustrated through a brief look at a case in Nürnberg. The informant who sent her innocent neighbor to die in a camp is interviewed.The Wild East chapter illustrates the great variance in regional Nazi commanders' approach to Germanization of Poland and how Hitler's management style facilitated bureaucratic fiefdoms.Too often documentaries demonize the Nazis and assume individuals somehow sprang fully formed from the gates of hell. In contrast, each of the well-crafted installments of The Nazis: A Warning from History offers new insight into the development and functioning of the Nazi state and enables us to intelligently consider the lives of its supporters. In calling for a more sophisticated understanding of totalitarianism the warning is very much that of Resnais' Night and Fog.
    tgtround I've just seen this series again for about the third time, and its importance cannot be under-estimated. At a time when German diplomats have begun to accuse the British of being obsessed with the war, the BBC decided to record as many unrepentant old Nazis as could be found and persuaded to talk. As in Shoah, they are gladly given enough rope to hang themselves.The importance of this isn't so much the story, because much of it is known, but the nuance that comes from the interviews and specific new information which has only come to light in the last decade. This proves, amongst other things that Adolf Hitler did not want war with Britain and he did know about the final solution.The repression of the Nazi Party's organisation against the Germans themselves is also highlighted, and this is very rarely covered.Highly commended.
    Rich-315 An evocative series which rather than investigating the Second World War as a whole, looks at how it could have happened. How did anti-semitism permeate throughout Germany society? How did people feel about having to murder civilians in cold blood? Anyone who believes in the ultimate goodness of humanity will be left with the shivers after watching interviews with ex-Wermacht and SS soldiers who took part in massacres. The sheer indifference of one individual who clearly has never even heard of the concept of guilt never mind considered it is horrifically compelling. This is a man who could appear as a harmless grandfather, still harbours no regrets about his role and claims that his very short prison terms alleviates him of any responsibility for the taking of innocent lives. This series is fundamentally important history as it illuminates what humanity is capable of when all normal controls are removed and men are invited to behave in a lawless manner. Furthermore, with recent history in Rwanda and the Balkans leaving many people shaking their heads at what could motivate such savagery, this series offers a potential cross-referenced explanation.Watch it; you'll be compelled to try and understand why and how.