The film proceeds chronologically, beginning with goebbels recollections on family and youth and winding through the rise and fall of nazi germany. Joseph goebbels has often been cited as the man who did the most to help. The play is a parody of the rise of hitler, written while brecht was in exile at that time 1941, with various scenes added afterwards. Goebbels titanic cinematic disaster turns 70 marred by misfortune and eventually banned by the nazis, germanys epic propaganda film serves as a model for the fall of the third reich. The goebbels experiment a film by lutz hachmeister and michael kloft 35mm, 1.
We can learn a lot from these bolsheviks, he reluctantly admits after a. He particularly gained international attention for directing the 2005 film the goebbels experiment, coproduced by the bbc and the canadian history channel, and featuring kenneth branagh as the narrator for the goebbels diaries. The goebbels experiment 2005 imdbthe goebbels experiment on netflix now. Goebbels, who came to know writers, journalists, theater agents, film managers, politicians and so on during the years of struggle, is at home in these areas. Unlike goebbels propaganda, the experiment does not appeal to the masses. What it contains is a disjointed series of historic films of herr doktor joseph goebbels and other nazis, while the narrator reads random excerpts from goebbelss diaries. The goebbels experiment germanyunited kingdom, 2005.
No one believes me now, but i knew nothing kate connolly brunhilde pomsel worked at the heart of the nazis propaganda machine. Foreign affairs foreign division foreign press frankfurter zeitung front reports ganda gauleiter german broadcasting german film german home german labour front german listener german newspapers german press german propaganda german radio german soldiers german wireless germans. Josef goebbels, the man who almost singlehandedly developed the field of propaganda into an art form, would, for a day, be the leader of world war ii germany. Jeffrey herf maintains that goebbels and the nazis used the big lie to turn longstanding antisemitism into mass murder. It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle. The diary of joseph goebbels, who was the propagandist behind hitler. The goebbels experiment is this just the usual jew trickery or were they in fact narrating from goebbels journal.
Carefully crafted and diligently compiled, the film reveals joseph goebbels to be a very human, three dimensional character equal parts loathsome, and possibly brilliant, yet clearly trapped in a doomed and misguided chapter of world history. Interesting to hear goebbelss thoughts during the decline of the nazi regime at one point, with the allies closing in in the west and the soviets in the east, he obsesses over a propaganda film on the home front but then again, what else was there for him to do. Film as an object of reflection in the goebbels diaries jstor. Nazism courted the masses by the means of slogans that were aimed directly at the instincts and emotions of the people. When i requested the transitfilm corporation, who inherited the s of third reich. The nazi propaganda mastermind behind hitler speaks in first person as narrator reads pages of the diary kept by the chief of propaganda, joseph goebbels, revealing the mans most inner thoughts. Hitler promises upon the completion of their eastern campaign goebbels will be able to initiate. The goebbels experiment weirdly omits any mention of triumph of the will, the single greatest propaganda achievement of the nazi era. Branagh has the cadence of a gentleman, which makes him sound reasonable and sympathetic, and by all accounts, goebbels was a gentleman as well, as charismatic as any movie star. The goebbels diaries are a collection of writings by joseph goebbels, a leading member of the national socialist german workers party nsdap and the reich minister of public enlightenment and propaganda in adolf hitlers government from 1933 to 1945. From the revealing journals of a propaganda mastermind. The film minister goebbels and the cinema in the third.
Far from being the horror show expected from its title, lutz hachmeisters cool, almost antidramatic docu paints a portrait of an insecure manicdepressive solely through extracts from joseph goebbels own voluminous diaries. In the 2005 documentary the goebbels experiment, directed by lutz hachmeister and narrated by kenneth branagh, the archive footage was shown at the beginning and end of the film. Herf argues that the big lie was a narrative of an innocent, besieged germany striking back at an international jewry, which it said started world war i. Nazism created an elaborate system of propaganda, which made use of the new technologies of the 20th century, including cinema. Newhall under construction newhall under construction. Kenneth branagh narrates the english language version of the film. The diaries, which have only recently been published in full in german and are available only in part in english, are a major source for the. Some of the films most engrossing moments deal with goebbelss exclusively utilitarian ambitions for german cinema. He was short, standing at just under 5 6, of small stature and skinny, and had a sharp, prominent nose and an oily. The nazis valued film as a propaganda instrument of enormous power.
Goebbels was born in the german rhineland to strict catholic parents. While the diary entries fascinate, its the rarely seen footage that makes the goebbels experiment a mustsee. However, while hitlers life outside of politics has long been a subject of interest, less is known about goebbels, and the goebbels experiment is a documentary which draws upon goebbels own. Lutz hachmeister born september 10, 1959 in mindenwestphalia is a german media historian, awardwinning filmmaker and journalist.
Reading from the diaries kept by third reich propagandist joseph goebbels between 1924 and 1945, kenneth branagh brings the infamous nazi spin doctor. A timely documentary film about nazi propaganda mastermind joseph goebbels. The goebbels experiment is a documentary directed by lutz hachmeister. Through archival footage and dramatic readings of his personal writings, the life of nazi germanys propaganda. With the goebbels experiment, director lutz hachmeister looks to perform a. X german propaganda archive x calvin college nazi propaganda by joseph goebbels 19331945 this is a collection of english translations of nazi propaganda material by joseph goebbels, part of a larger site on nazi and east german propaganda. General research division, the new york public library. A very good movie dealing with goebbels from entries in his diaries. Monica film center santa monica monica film center santa monica. He was one of adolf hitlers closest and most devoted associates, and was known for his skills in public speaking and his deeply virulent antisemitism, which was evident in his publicly voiced views.
Joseph goebbels was arguably the highest ranking nongangster of national socialisms inner circle. Every key player in goebbels dark universe, from werner straub to leni riefenstahl, from forgotten actors like zarah leander. The goebbels experiment the nazi propaganda mastermind behind hitler speaks in first person as actor kenneth branagh reads pages of the diary kept by the chief of propaganda, joseph goebbels, revealing the mans most inner thoughts. Hitler promises upon the completion of their eastern campaign goebbels will be able to initiate the eradication of the jewish population in berlin. The goebbels experiment year 2005 genre documentary history biography type movies idmb rating 7.
Arguably the most gifted of hitlers henchmen, joseph goebbels was an enigmatic genius whose successful manipulation of mass political opinion was unprecedented. The goebbels experiment 2005 insight into the mind of the reich minister of propaganda of nazi germany based on extracts from his diaries. The film lets goebbels speak for himself through the diaries he kept without interruption from 1924 to 1945, as never before seen historical footage from german archives traces the life of the second most powerful man of the third reich, detailing his initial attraction to the nazi. The film minister covers what seems like every possible aspect of goebbels beliefs and his profound effect on what german society heard and saw in the media throughout the life of hitlers deluded dynasty. This exists with english and german narration and depending which version you watch, you will hear either kenneth branagh or udo samel. Take a glimpse at the toxic mind of joesph goebbels, hitlers henchman who was. The goebbels experiment 2005 the goebbels experiment. The goebbels experiment 123movies 123 movies watch full. Important doc for modern audiences to understand how the nazis came to power through the use of propaganda. In selecting kenneth branagh to read joseph goebbels diaries aloud for the documentary the goebbels experiment, director lutz hachmeister was either nastily sly or completely boneheaded. Goebbels s wartime diaries tell the reader more about film production. To film producers who complained about a lack of material, he replied.
There is no shortage of material, but rather the courage to use it is lacking. A man whose name has become a byword for pure evil gets a disarming makeover in the goebbels experiment. While the diary talks about a certain german city on a certain date, we see the streets in convincing film from the. But the real treasure of the goebbels experiment is the stunning array of vintage film footage, most of it completely unfamiliar and the majority of it very high in quality. The infamous propaganda film of the 1934 nazi party rally in nuremberg, germany. This dvd was a total disappointment, the title the goebbels experiment and the product description have almost nothing to do with the content of this dvd. The film lets goebbels speak for himself through the diaries he kept without interruption from 1924 to 1945, as never before seen historical footage from german archives traces the life of the second most powerful man of the third reich, detailing his initial attraction to the nazi party and his adoration of hitler.
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