Swastika (1973) (English Subs)

Description taken from http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Reviews/Reviews.asp?ID=7246

Swastika is perhaps the most controversial documentary about Adolf Hitler and the Nazis ever. Unlike the multitude of other documentaries about Hitler which concentrate on his ruthless rise to power, his anti-Semitism and his relentless pursuit of German supremacy that dragged the world into the most widespread and destructive war in history, this documentary shows Hitler the man; a human being like the rest of us who can show compassion, sadness and joy. In fact, there are times in this film that you can almost think that Hitler was actually a nice guy.

Released in 1973 and using Nazi propaganda footage as well as rare colour home movies made by Hitler's fiancé, Eva Braun, Swastika is an attempt by Philippe Mora and Lutz Becker to understand how a regime so corrupt and twisted could have had such overwhelming support by an entire nation. While it doesn't completely explain this; it is a question that will probably never be fully answered; it does succeed in showing a side to Germany and the Nazi Party that is often overlooked and so gives us some insight into the great deception that was played on the German people. What Mora and Becker show us is Hitler and the senior Nazis as they were presented to the German people at that time. The nefarious actions of this evil regime, so well known to us in hindsight, are nowhere to be seen, and what we are presented with is a man who is charismatic, often charming and is rebuilding the wealth and national pride of a country torn apart by the reparations imposed at the end of the Great War.

What made this film so controversial is the portrayal of the human side of Hitler. Because of the legacy he left the world, we often de-humanise him. It is easier to think of Hitler and his henchmen as something other than human to help us cope with the inhumanity that this regime unleashed, so when confronted with images of a man who could be tender, charming, grieving and even silly, it lies at odds with our pre-conceptions. Of course these traits are precisely what made him so successful in his dominance of German politics in the 1930's, but showing them again some 40 years later when the world had de-humanised him was highly controversial. This controversy was heightened by the lack of any narrative soundtrack. The film clips used are left to stand alone with their original sound with only subtitles being added for those of us who do not speak German. This leaves the audience to make their own decisions about what is presented. Unlike most documentaries that explain the events and draw conclusions for you, Swastika leaves all the thinking up to the viewer.

The darker side of the Nazi regime is not completely ignored by the film-makers. The opening aerial shots of pre-war Berlin in all its architectural splendour are juxtaposed vividly with the post-war closing scenes showing a similar aerial view of the now razed and ravished city that became Hitler's legacy and the scenes of bodies being bulldozed into massed graves at Belsen concentration camp - both disturbing and compelling to watch - put a perspective on the Nazi era that contrasts vividly with the propaganda the German public was served up during this time.

When Swastika was released Mora and Lutz were accused of being pro-Nazi and the film was often banned, to the extent that it was almost lost. Fortunately we can now view this brilliant documentary at our leisure. Far from being a pro-Nazi piece of propaganda, it stands as a warning to us as to how people can be manipulated and deceived by clever oration and marketing. There is a quote at the start of this film that sums up the film-makers' intent: "If the human features of Hitler are lacking in the image of him that is passed on to posterity, if he is dehumanised and shown only as a devil, any future Hitler may not be recognised, simply because he is a human being."

Runtime 1:35:23, AVI