A fascinating record of scenes behind the political figure of Hitler which reveal a very different life away from the image of the Fuerher or battlefields and the bombing. Another interesting aspect is the footage of the final stages of the war when the Russian army took Berlin. The remaining civilians were caught in the crossfire and took incredible risks in the streets to move between buildings and survive the assault. I find it difficult to imagine how they got through the experience and carried on. A very interesting film.
Given that this television documentary was produced in 1958, a mere 13 years after the end of the war, it is striking in the way it portrays the notorious Nazi leader, not simply as a egomaniac or dictatorial monster, but as a believable human figure. Only more recently, with films such as Downfall (Der Untergang), have film-makers attempted to really get to grips with Hitler as a human, but this early example offers an exception to the majority of films covering the same subject. The film includeds archive Nazi video footage and also home movies made by Eva Braun, alongside interviews with various key figures.
The Secret Life of Adolf Hitler
Post-war Nazi documentary