THE RISE AND RISE OF THE THIRD REICH

US, 1968, 180 minutes, Black and white.
Directed by Jack Kaufman.

The Rise and Rise of the Third Reich was a bestselling study of Germany between the wars and into World War II, published in 1960, by William A. Shirer. The book was a bestseller and offered a popular interpretation of the period – although it received quite an amount of analytical criticism.

Shirer himself is seen at various times during the film, talking to camera and giving his interpretation.

This is a documentary compilation of footage, invaluable to see, charting the rise of Adolf Hitler from his childhood, to his adolescence, to his World War I service, to the aftermath and his ambitions in leadership, his setting up a party which became the Nazi party, his gathering thugs around him, the challenge to the fragile governments in Germany between the wars, his initial defeat in elections, deals done for him so that he finished up as Chancellor.

Audiences will find this a most valuable summary of Hitler’s initial career as well as offering some understanding of his character, his drives, his ambitions and sense of leadership, his right-wing fascist stances, so congenial in Europe at the time, and his extreme anti-Semitism.

The second part of the film traces the rise of Nazism before World War II. The burning of the Reichstag is shown, the consequences with Hitler condemning the communists, his use of the Army, especially with Ernst Roem and then his betrayal of the SA, the night of the long knives, Hitler espousing the dominance of the Army. There are sketches of his initial collaborators, Goering, Hess and, especially, Goebbels and his propaganda work. Later there is the introduction of Himmler and the establishment of the SS.

The film is also very strong in showing images of the German population, the popular spirit that supported Hitler, the humiliation after World War I, the ambitions that Hitler offered for Germany to become a super race. But it also shows the ruthlessness of Hitler in his dealings with those who opposed him.

This gives the setting for the outbreak of World War II, the invasion of Poland after the annexation of Czechoslovakia and the Anschluss in Austria. The film also gives an outline of the progress of World War II, Germany and its initial supremacy, invasions and annexations. it also shows Hitler after the bombing of Pearl Harbor declaring war on the United States.

During 1942 to 1945, German fortunes began to recede. There is vivid imagery of the German attack on Russia, the inability to take Moscow, the dire confrontations and Germans being taken prisoners of war and paraded after Stalingrad.

In the meantime, there is a focus on the anti-Semitism, the arrest of so many Jews, the mystery of their being relocated, the different camps, especially Aischwitz and the gas chambers.

With 1944, there is D-Day? after the invasion of Sicily and the defeat in North Africa, the German attempts to resist the progress of the Allies, the winter of 1944 – 1945, sieges of Germany, the Russians crossing the eastern border and laying siege to Berlin. In the meantime, there was a certain amount of denial, especially in Berlin with shows, parades and Goebbels financing a big-screen epic on the clash with Napoleon.

At the end, Hitler is meeting with the young recruits, his hopes for the defence of Germany. But, in the meantime, doctors were filling him with drugs, he looked aged, his decisions were erratic and moody, he was confined to the Bunker.

At the end, there is testimony from Hitler’s chauffeur about what happened with Hitler, the marriage to Eva Braun, their deaths, the gasoline and the burning of their bodies.

The Third Reich was intended to last for 1000 years. It lasted 12 with the final years in ignominy and destruction. The film does show the sketches of the children in Theresienstadt, butterflies and flowers, as they faced their deaths.

There have been many documentaries after this particular film as well as many feature films dramatising the period. But this one has the advantage of a great deal of actual footage and the possibilities for reflecting on the meaning of Hitler and his rise, his tactics, the response of the German people, the experience of World War II and destruction and defeat.