The Goebbels Experiment
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Movie Reviews of The Goebbels Experiment
Movie Review: Dr. Goebbels Spricht
Summary: 5 Stars
'The Goebbels Experiment' is a magnificent documentary about the infamous Third Reich Propaganda Minister, Dr. Joseph Goebbels. Kenneth Branaugh is the narrator but where this differs from most documentaries is that instead of using a typical commentary approach, Branaugh solely reads excerpts of Dr. Goebbels extensive diary collection while images and film footage of the Minister roll in the background. This is a unique approach in the fact that it lets Dr. Goebbels essentially speak for himself and it succeeds in juxtaposing his private thoughts and feelings with his public persona. The diary entries begin circa 1924 when Goebbels was basically a discontented nobody, working a low-level job at a bank and oft complaining of depression and lack of purpose in life. He visibly comes to life after he becomes involved in the Nazi party and comes across as a rather happy-go-lucky guy. His admiration of Hitler is evident-"I love him" he says at one point-and the footage of these early party days reveal him as a constantly smiling and rather charming fellow. As the film-and the movement-proceeds, we see Goebbels gradually evolve into the bitter, and cynical propaganda master that he is remembered as. With that said, he seems to have maintained an unwavering loyalty to his Fuhrer and the movement up until the moment of his death.
There is some fantastic black and white film footage of Nazi party rallies and "behind the scenes" events that I have never seen before. Also utilized are a number of nice photographs of Goebbels' and company throughout his life. While I don't think this documentary is for everybody-my wife rolled her eyes when I told her what I was watching-anybody interested in the Third Reich or history in general will no doubt enjoy this film immensely. It is definitely one of the best documentaries on a historical figure that I have seen and it certainly gave me much insight into the mind of one of the most notorious men of the twentieth century.
Movie Review: Goebbels in his own words
Summary: 5 Stars
While the crisp tones of British actor Kenneth Branaugh's reading of Nazi Propaganda Minister Doctor Joseph Goebbels' diary entries might not be the German accent you'd expect, don't let this put you off of what is arguably a fine example of the Doctor's intelligence and brilliance. Coupled with excellent film footage, "The Goebbels Experiment" is nothing but excerpts from Goebbels' diaries (no other narration is used) which reveal the man's obvious intelligence (he was the only intellectual, degreed member of Hitler's court, outside of Albert Speer, who was also vastly intelligent and talented) and his almost superhuman talent for political propaganda.
Throughout his life, Goebbels had been a prolific diarist, and his writings give us a colorful, detailed portrait of his days as Propaganda Minister of the Third Reich. All aspects of his personality - his intelligence, his cunning, his passion for his wife, Magda, and the other women with whom he engaged in sexual liaisons (and they were many) and, of course, his total devotion to the Nazi party and its leader, Adolf Hitler - are revealed "in his own words" without outside comment or censure.
While the Nazi movement was driven in large part by Hitler's will and charisma, it was the words of Dr. Joseph Goebbels that perpetuated the Party images and its myth, coaxing forth the loyalty and blind devotion of the German people until finally rallying them with the doctrine of "Total War" which nearly destroyed Germany completely.
Goebbels has been described by one historian as being the most interesting man in the Nazi party apart from Hitler, and this documentary shows you why. Loathe him though you may, there is no doubt of his genius. Without him, I personally doubt the Nazi movement would have survived as long as it did. It was as much Goebbels' war as Hitler's.
A "must see" for anyone interesting in WWII and Nazi Germany in particular.
Movie Review: A look inside a delusional mind
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a first-rate and surprisingly original documentary. The main audio track is Kenneth Brannagh reading from (translated) diaries of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazis' propaganda chief -- except when the film cuts to film footage of Goebbels himself, usually from the events being described in the diary entries. The visuals are almost all from stock, newsreel and other surviving footage of the time.
We get to follow the rise and fall of Hitler's regime through the eyes of one of his chief deputies. The film makes clear that one of the Nazis' main weaknesses was an incapability of looking at themselves critically. While Goebbels has plenty of criticism for other Nazis -- Goering, Himmler, et al -- there is no hint that he may have doubted the fundamental idea of German supremacy at any time.
Goebbel's biting, contemptuous criticisms of the English and Americans and how they went about the war are chilling with the hindsight of history. It just drives home how much psychological necessity the Nazi leadership had in thinking others were inferior, how much ideology and hatred were the guiding forces behind German policies of the time, and how little room there was for cold, dispassionate rationality.
As a music fan, I was hoping there would be more -- or even anything at all -- about the Berlin Philharmonic and Wilhelm Furtwangler, its conductor. There isn't. But that's fine.
The diary entries apparently run out a few days before the end. The last we hear of Goebbels is not from his pen, but his last radio speech given as Berlin was under siege. The movie closes with the images of the charred bodies of Goebbels and his wife lying next to their children, whom they had killed with cyanide before committing suicide themselves. The film drives home more than most how pointless the brutality of Nazism really was.
Movie Review: "The Goebbels Experiment" is very strongly recommended viewing
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Goebbels Experiment" is a 107 minute historical documentary focused upon the life and work of Joseph Goebbels, one of the key figures in the Nazi movement that took control of Germany in the late 1930s and was in charge of Hitler's propaganda machine throughout World War II until he took his life rather than fall into the hands of the Russians with the fall of the Third Reich in 1945. Drawing upon rare footage from the archives of German film and television, and interweaving quotations from Goebbels diaries (which he kept from 1924 to 1945) and his recorded speeches, the filmmakers Lutz Hachmeister and Michael Kloft decided not to interject commentary but let Goebbels words and recorded images speak for themselves. The German language is ably narrated in English by Kenneth Branagh. "The Goebbels Experiment" is a superbly produced documentary whose DVD format allows for the addition of Film Notes, Filmmaker Biographies, and a World War II Film Collection Preview. With its underlying message of the danger to a free and democratic society from a monolithic governmental control of the means of communication, "The Goebbels Experiment" is very strongly recommended viewing and a welcome addition to both school and community library video collections.Movie Review: Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an amazing film. Don't even know where to start.
- All you hear or watch are either documentaries or Goebbels own words. Of course, the facts can be used out of context etc, but still it's as close to truth as you can get.
- Quality of materials. We usually used to see WWII videos in black and white and it makes you feel disconneted from that time. Here they found some rare color films. It makes big difference!
- Feel the time. You here the sounds of that time, watch scenes from that time, listen to Goebbels own words. Looks like the authors were trying carefully to preserve that experience. The are not trying to give their own opinions or inject anything modern. So it's a very unspoiled view into pre WWII and WWII Germany.
- Great history lesson on propaganda, democracy etc. Some people would be probably surprised to realize that government got it's power in a democratic way by winning a series of elections and it had support from masses. That shows you the limits of democracy.
Overall, one of the best documentary films about that time released in the recent years!