Planned Mini-Series on Hitler's Early Life Brings Criticism

The New York Times ^ | 8/20/02 | Bernard Weinraub

[Physicist]

"Why the need or the desire to make this monster human?"

Because the banality of evil is the key to the whole tragedy. If Hollywood portrayed the young Hitler as a fanged, brain-devouring ghoul, people might not take offense, but neither will they learn to recognize evil "in the wild," so to speak.

[pbear8]

Are they going to show the gay part of his early life?

[MattinNJ]

Strictly from a film making perspective (obviously Hitler was an insane homicidal monster eclipsed only by Mao, Stalin and Pol Pot), Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will" is masterful. It is considered the greatest propoganda film of all time. Kurosawa was greatly influenced by it and was inspired to film a documentary on the 1964 Tokyo Olympics to follow in her foot steps. Kurosawa's documentary was incredible.

[virgil]

My concern is that they may depict Hitler as some victimized child who was brutalized by his parents. Then the mass murders by the Nazis will not be Hitler's fault, it will be his parent's fault. That would be disgusting.

[one2many]

Somewhere (I think on FR) I saw that Hitler was a big fan of Abe Lincoln.

Got anything on that?