Things that you are fed

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

When you are young, with the propaganda that is fed to you, you grow up a simpleton. You think the knowledge that had been fed down your throat is the gospel truth and everything else is just farce. Then you grow up.

You soon realise that it has all been a smokescreen. The victors and those with might had convinced their way is King. 

With the opening of the inner eye, the onus is on you to educate and to spread the word to the ignoramus. But then, no one is going take what you say lying down. 

I was surprised that Scarlett Johansson was actually nominated for the Oscars for her role in this movie. Her character is hardly memorable, and she dies before the end of the film.

As for the storyline, it is nothing new. It is told from the viewpoint of a 10-year-old boy, Jojo, who is gung ho with joining Hitler's youth Army. Deep inside, he is a pacifist. He has an imaginary friend in the form of a comical Adolf Hitler who cajoles him to do the things that the Nazis want Germans to do. Jojo's mother, on the other hand, is a Jew sympathiser. Jojo soon discovers a Jewish girl that she hides in the attic. 

They soon build a bond. Jojo realises that Jews are no different from ordinary Germans; unlike what had been fed by the propaganda machinery.

A potentially forgettable satire that nobody would remember in five years.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Propaganda

Triumph of Will ( Triumph des Willens, German; 1935)

The Godfather of propaganda must have realised early in his career that visual representation of a lie, often repeated will eventually be the accepted truth. This, coming from a person who almost made it to the Academy of Fine Arts of Vienna, must be true.

Thanks to a party member, a certain Elisabeth Nietzsche, he gained access to the mind of one the greatest 20th-century thinker, Frederich Nietzsche, her brother. His unpublished book, 'Will of Power', which Nietzsche thought was too controversial to man, was made available to him. Many of his ideas are starkly portrayed here in this propaganda film.  

Like Zarathustra, in Nietzsche's book,  Hitler appears from the clouds and disembarks the plane to present his good news to the people. If Zarathustra brought in the news from the mountains, that God is dead, this time, it is at the Nuremberg, and it is the Social Democrat party assembly. He is welcomed like a demi-god by floods of youths, farmers, women and looks like everybody in Deutschland! Happy faces are seen everywhere. Everybody goes overboard to express their pleasure to partake in a huge street parade. On exhibition are the various movements, governmental, army, youth movements, farmers' groups and much more.

Also seen in the documentary are the members of the Nazi circles of who and who, all ashamedly showing their allegiance to Hitler and the Party. New speeches are spoken. Hitler's speech sounds like many of the rhetorics that we hear today about making the country great. The emotional theatric display of party members ends with one by Deputy Fuhrer with a phrase, "The Party is Hitler, but Hitler is Germany as Germany is Hitler. Hail Victory.

In this documentary, we are showcased the greatness of German cinematography. It must have been quite a feat to do an outdoor shooting of a street parade involving a mammoth crowd. Aerial shots, both of a flying plane amongst the clouds and of marching bands from atop a building must be avant-garde. The Germans who introduced the genre of noir film with its typical long shadow shots show their prowess at night filming.

Sour to the grave

As far as I can remember, it has been the practice of people to respect the dead. No matter how bad a person had been in his or her lifetime, they are generally forgiven. Only the nicest things are highlighted and the not so pleasant one are conveniently forgotten or omitted in the eulogy.

It is accepted that the person in question would be adequately dealt with in the afterlife by the powers above and the aid of The Book.

As a deviant from the norm, people of the working class of Britain, mainly miners, have been keeping their grudge of discontent all these years and have no qualms displaying it now. Even amongst the vast majority of the 'others', there are those who feel that the world now is a worse place than before she came to the picture. With the combo of Thatcherism-Reaganism, where greed is good, we are now left with a messy world of living in credit and mortgage.
I suppose the changes in the world are inevitable with or without Thatcher. Desperate situations demand desperate measures! Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, when economy was unresuscitable, the majority thought the grocer's daughter with her degree had the right chemistry to spark to the laissez faire British economy. And she sure did- her way!
For that matter, the electorates are to be blamed for collectively deciding on such a leader in desperation to come out of their economic doldrums. Just like the Germans for choosing a certain dropout from Art School as their leader......

Going down...down, down...

Downfall (Der Untergang, German, 2004)

After 60 years of having unpleasant memories of the Third Reich and his atrocities to people of the world over, a film finally came out from Germany to portray the leader whom they elected and would like to forget. Trying to juggle a balance of not hurting the victims of the war, giving a sympathetic face to this leader, telling the history as it is, give a story to just to a few random events in life is not an easy task, but the film managed to put it out just so well.

For a person not very well versed in the nitty-gritty of warfare, it can be very confusing, but a little bit of background will put things in perspective. (especially Alec Guinness' '10 Last 10 days of Hitler' did help, though the latter was more simplified).

The movie starts on a night outside Fuhrer's office in 1942. Candidates are waiting anxiously for an interview for the post of a typist. A mild-mannered Adolf Hitler walks out to greet all of them individually. Somehow, even though she did not shine at typing and dictation, Taudl Hump still got the job. The story that followed is her perspective of what happened in the bunker during the last 10 days of Hitler's war.

Fast forward.. 1945 April 20, Taudl is awoken by artillery shells of the Russian who are just 12km away from Berlin. With this is in the background, we see many things happening over the next few days.

An infuriated Hitler screams in the bunk after hearing Russian artillery fire for not being told about anything.

Himmler, his faithful head of SS and his adjutant Fegelein (also Eva Braun's brother-in-law) try to talk to Hitler to leave Berlin but in vain. Himmler also negotiates with the Russians on the sly.

Hitler with Goebbels' kids 

Hitler birthday is celebrated, and Operation Clausewitz of scorching Berlin of all official documents is progress. Everyone is leaving Berlin.

A father who had lost his arm tries to talk his 12-year-old son of Hitler's Youth Corp to come home. He declines and is told that his platoon would be given the Iron Cross.
The bunker dwellers are given the option to leave. Many leave, but Trudl stays on as she joined the Nazi movement against the advice of her family.

The situation becomes more precarious for Hitler. A disappointed Hitler laments of what good deeds he had done for the Germans, like cleansing the Jewish poison off their soil. At one point, this desperate man becomes delusional hoping for non-existent troops and airplanes to annihilate the Russians. In another instance, he says the German people deserve to die for being weak.
One by one, his General desert him. Some are executed. Many chose suicide.

In the final days, Hitler marries Eva Braun who is portrayed here as a subservient lady to the bully, Hitler.

As Berlin is surrounded in all directions, cyanide capsules are passed around. Blondi, Hitler's German Shepherd, is the first to go. Hitler and Eva die and are cremated as ordered. Goebbels (Minister of Propaganda) and Mrs feed all their six children with cyanide in their sleep in easily the most moving scene of the film. After the act, Mrs Goebbels play solitaire!

Taudl escapes the bunker and the Russians and meets Peter (the youth soldier earlier). They walk holding hands like family, found a bicycle and ride their way to freedom...Das Ende

It is refreshing to see German soldiers from a different perspective after years and years of being depicted as bumbling brainless and emotionless soldiers who are just there to be target practice of the Yankees soldiers in most American war movies.

Kudos to Bruno Ganz for his portrayal of a sinking Adolf Hitler with his labile flair of temper and Parkinsons Disease stricken resting tremors. We also find out that he is not all anger and violence. Hitler has a softer side where he is capable of showing affection to his pet Blondi and is courteous to his secretary, cook and the workers of the bunker.

4/5, only because could not appreciate the dialogue. The film was nominated for the Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

Betrayed by his own flesh!

Hitler: The last 10 days (1973)
The random distribution of proteins adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine and uracil makes sure that in any organization, be it animal or human kingdom, 1% of the population will always conquer over the remaining 99% of the remaining subservient. There can only be 1 alpha male in the lion colony and 1% will control the economy of the world no matter how fair an economic system man proposes. This status quo is mandatory to maintain peace and order in any group. If everyone is learned, influential and possess excellent leading qualities, there is bound to be chaos, hence, nature has created this arrangement.
Hence, in keeping with this background, history has shown again and again of leaders would bring a race to glory and then also to its downfall due to their greed. Hitler is such an example. It is amazing how the 99% follow blindly their leader and agree for horrendous terror against fellow kind which in retrospect would like to forget. Forgive their ancestors, maybe, but learn from history? I doubt it.
This 1973 British made film is acted to perfection by the legendary  Sir Alec Guinness in the leading role of the moody Austrian. As Hitler is the reason the movie is made, so Sir Alec is forgiven for taking over the main role and its mainstay. It shows us his soliloquy, his thought process and his glorious past to the rise of the Third Reich.
It tells the events that took place at the Führerbunker, the 60 feet concrete underground in Berlin built for the Führer and his faithful Officers between 20th April 1945 (Hitler's birthday) and 30th April 1945 (Hitler's suicide). All speeches and actions in the authenticated by an Oxford historians and a fellow soldier in the bunker.

The whole of Germany in chaos.The Russian army is drawing closer to Berlin. Hitler, however, is still in his own world, sticking fast to his grandeur idea of a German Empire! Eva Braun (his mistress) and fellow inmates of the bunker celebrate Führer's 56th birthday. Hitler has strict house rules, no smoking and no drinking, but that being an exceptional day, allows champagne to befit the occasion. The unhappy officers listen to Hitler's brag of how, he, a graduate of no military school, single-handedly, built an empire for the peasants of Germany who were ruined to smithereens after the First World War.
The soldiers have their own secluded place in the bunker where they have their dose of cigarettes and wines. Whilst the rest of Germany is being bombed by the Allied forces, the birthday bash with dance goes on with laughter and music, with the occasional interruption by sound of falling bombs.
And the Russians are slowly making their way to Berlin as the days go on. More bad news keep on rolling in as the Hitler breaks down as his Third Reich has failed.
Then good news comes that the Russian and American armies were engaged in an argument. As the days go on, more bad news..a telegram comes of his Deputy taking charge of administration.
Hitler laments on how everybody in his life was betraying him. Again and again Hitler states that he has been betrayed by all the Germans in spite of his contribution to Germany.
In a very puzzling move, Hitler summons an officer from Munich to Berlin, flying through the battle field just to inform him of his promotion as Field Marshal.
As the Russians move closer, Hitler decides to use the Hitler Youth, an army of young teenage boys to be their human shield to protect Berlin.

Alec Guinness

As the future appears bleak, Hitler discusses mass suicide rather than allowing the Allied Forces having the joy of parading Hitler like a caged animal for the world to see. After discussing about cyanide capsules, shooting themselves, burning themselves etcetera, Hitler presents everyone with cyanide capsules as a wedding present after he marries Eva Braun in the bunker. Of course a photograph of Hitler was presented to attendees for compliment.
Post wedding party continues with champagne and songs. Russian bombs are raining Berlin and Hitler writes his final testament. He floods the underground tunnels which housed hospital beds to protect himself.
Russians move in just 300 metres away.
Eva takes a capsule. Hitler shoots himself.
The film ends with the remaining soldiers looking into the Fuhrer's room. Instead of taking their cyanide capsules, for once in front of Hitler in the bunker, they lit their cigars and cigarettes.
In his death, Hitler must have felt betrayed, yet again.
It is a fantastic depiction of the Austrian who conquered Europe and brought the whole world at its knees by Alec Guinness. Somehow we feel pity for Hitler for his egoistic megalomaniac ideas for his unshakeable nationalistic patriotism and ability to unite a country which was poor and hungry. By uniting them and getting the economy going again, he gave the world the seed for the German brand that we all know today.
A good show.

Quotable quote:
(Upon receiving a fine elaborate embroidery of a Nazi flag on his birthday from some General's wives, Hitler says, "What exquisite workmanship! What loving care has gone into this. Love and devotion to a man are the highest virtues in a woman. Intelligence is not very important. My mother was certainly no genius but she gave birth to a great son to the German people. Well done."

(On decision to flood tunnels which hold hospital beds)
Nature is cruel so I have to be cruel.

Interesting viewpoint

The person who painted these pictures wanted to attend the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts to become an artist, but academy rejected his application.
If only he had been accepted by the academy, the world history would have been much different ...
 


.. That applicant's name was ADOLF HITLER!

The great dictators...

Wow, I always thought that Charlie Chaplin only did slapstick comedies in silent movies. I was pleasantly surprised when I bumped upon an excerpt from his old movie (he does not have new movies anyway) titled 'The Great Dictator'. For indulgence have a listen to the greater orator of all time who managed to transform and hoodwink the minds of the Germans into thinking that they were from the superior Aryan race even though he himself was Austrian. If only the German Institute of Arts had accepted the application of this vegetarian, the world would not had to endure the misery of another great War after the Great Trench War 2 decades afterwards. We would have more pictures to appreciate of the German country side and of Oktoberfest!