The Goebbels Experiment (film)

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Movie
Original title The Goebbels experiment
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 2005
length 107 minutes
Rod
Director Lutz Hachmeister
script Lutz Hachmeister
Michael Kloft

The 2005 film The Goebbels Experiment deals with the life of the war criminal Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945). The script by Lutz Hachmeister (director) and Michael Kloft only uses the diary entries of Hitler's confidante, the Gauleiter of Berlin and Nazi chief propagandist . This is the main difference between the film and Morgenthaler's extensive documentation by Joseph Goebbels , published in 2004 .

The documentation uses film recordings and photos from that time and does not require commentators or contemporary witnesses. Udo Samel speaks the Goebbels role. Kenneth Branagh can be heard as the narrator in the English version.

The title of the film was taken from the book of the same name by Derrick Sington and Arthur George Weidenfeld (later ennobled), which was published in Great Britain in 1942.

Characterization style

As political events are

With its 2 to 3-minute daily sections, the film does not deal with other political events during these years, such as the description of the gas chambers for the extermination of the Jews or the preparation for the war and its course. The film mainly deals with passages that, in the opinion of the authors, say more about Goebbels' personality, however trivial the occasions may appear at first glance. These include, for example, excitement about Göring's addiction to pomp and morphine, the purchase of private apartments, trips to the Berlin Wannsee , visits to spas or disputes with his wife Magda , also regarding Goebbels' numerous extramarital affairs. The occasions most likely correspond to the political actor Goebbels, which is mostly illuminated in history books, when his work as minister of propaganda (especially in the film sector, but also the important Sportpalast speech ), his personal relationship with Hitler or his own radical anti-Semitism are discussed.

production

The cinema documentary was co-produced by the BBC and presented at the Berlinale 2005. It was then shown at numerous international festivals such as the 29th World Film Festival Montreal, the 7th Jewish Film Festival in Jerusalem and the 29th Sao Paulo International Film Festival 2005. A book was published parallel to the film.

Startup dates

It was released in theaters on April 14, 2005. The German television premiere took place on July 3, 2007 on ZDF , but black copies of a 20-30 minute longer version were already available on the Internet. The cut scenes are about the death of Horst Wessel, Goebbels' vacation-like visits to fascist Italy during the war or more details when shooting the UFA film Kolberg in Agfacolor color.

The German theatrical version of the film was released on DVD in February 2009 ( Spiegel TV / polyband), but the English version, which was released by the independent distributor First Run Features , was available in England, the USA and Canada since May 26, 2006 who also released the film in North American cinemas in 2005.

Making of

The German documentary filmmaker Alexander Kluge also filmed a 45-minute making of with interviews with Kloft and Hachmeister, which was shown on VOX in the dctp night club .

criticism

“The viewer sits in the head of Joseph Goebbels, as it were, hears only his words, dreams the Nazi world through his eyes. The staccato style of the diary passages presented by Udo Samel turns into a hypnotic image pull through the rapidly interlocking, supple image montage, elegant zooms and the spherical soundtrack interspersed with drum beats. "

- Christiane Peitz : Tagesspiegel , April 14, 2005

"This remarkable film sets footage of Goebbels and the rise of the Nazis to the narration of excerpts from the diaries [...] This is an important, well-crafted illustration of the power of political manipulation and the cultivation of hatred."

- Will Hodgkinson : The Guardian , May 5, 2005

"Of all the feature films and documentaries that have come into our cinemas since the fall , The Goebbels Experiment is the boldest and the simplest."

- Fritz Göttler : Süddeutsche Zeitung , April 13, 2005

"In their fascinating documentary" The Goebbels Experiment ", the director and writer Lutz Hachmeister and the writer Michael Kloft provide a rare and chilling glimpse into a brilliant but toxic mind. Rejecting commentary, Mr. Hachmeister and Mr. Kloft allow Goebbels to speak for himself, in the voice of Kenneth Branagh, via the extensive diaries that he kept from 1924 to 1945. "

- Jeanette Catsoulis : The New York Times , August 12, 2005

literature

  • Lutz Hachmeister, Michael Kloft (ed.): The Goebbels experiment. Propaganda and politics. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-421-05879-2 .

Web links