Customer Reviews

Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary [VHS]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Blind Spot" is an interview with Traudl Junge who, as a young woman, worked as one of Adolph Hitler's secretaries, living alongside Hitler and other prominent members of the 3rd Reich between 1942 and 1945. Before Frau Junge died, at the age of 81, she gave this interview to filmmakers André Heller and Othmar Schmiderer in which she recounts her experiences with and her impressions of Adolph Hitler and the last days of the Reich. Frau Junge (née Humps) was entirely unsophisticated in political matters and an aspiring dancer when she took a job as a secretary in the Chancellery in Berlin. At her well-connected brother-in-law's urging, and in spite of her initial disinterest, she applied for and got a better position taking dictation for the Führer himself. Hitler was kindly and protective toward her, and she liked him. Her close proximity to him gave her firsthand knowledge of Hitler's health, his ideals, his private manners and personal habits, his paranoia, and the attempts on his life, which she describes as best she can in "Blind Spot". Perhaps understandably, Frau Junge had considered her position close to the Führer and his generals as an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the War and of Nazi policies, as she would be so near their source. Not until later did she realize that, being privy to Hitler's inner circle, she was actually in a "blind spot", sheltered more than anyone from what was going on in Germany. Frau Junge's description of the activity within the Chancellory in Berlin during the last few weeks of the War constitutes at least half of the film. Her account of the bizarre events of April 1945 is truly gripping. The audience can sense the panic and hopelessness that permeated the Chancellory as the Nazi empire came crumbling down. Frau Junge's description of the harrowing political and emotional roller-coaster that impending defeat set in motion is striking.

Blind Spot" is not a good film cinematographically. It consists only of interview footage, apparently taken in a living room or den, with an occasional glimpse of Frau Junge watching her own interview, which is awkward. But the film's content is revealing and provocative, a must-see for any student of World War II or for anyone curious to understand the character of Adolph Hitler. Traudl Junge's attitude toward her own role in the Nazi regime raises an interesting question. Frau Junge was not a member of the Nazi party, nor did she do anything to harm anyone. She took dictation. After the war, she felt no guilt about working for Adolph Hitler, and no one seemed to hold it against her. It wasn't until much later, when she realized that other young Germans had not all been so ignorant of Nazi policies and that many had died trying to fight them, that Frau Junge began to feel guilty for what she had not known and eventually fell into a serious depression. At the age of 81, she still seems preoccupied by feelings of guilt for having liked a man who caused so much suffering. This begs the question: To what degree are individuals responsible for the consequences of their ignorance and/or stupidity? In this Information Age, are we all obligated to understand the things we do and say, particularly if those things affect others? Are we to be condemned for the consequences of our ignorance if they are bad? If the answer is "yes", I fear that all of humanity would be damned. Perhaps the answer is, "It depends." Traudl Junge is no longer as naive as she was as Hitler's secretary. In "Blind Spot" she articulates real understanding that she has gained of how and why Adolph Hitler "manipulated the conscience" of an entire nation. Her insights are important and interesting. But I found the questions of guilt and ignorance that her experience raises to be the most relevant and provocative aspect of her story. In German with a choice of English, French, or Spanish subtitles. There are no bonus features on the DVD.

I would have given this film four stars (the quality suffers, not the content), but I feel Norm's review diminishes the importance of the film. If you are at once creative and analytical, you'll find a rich depth. In the film, Frau Junge doesn't excuse herself; in fact, I think she is too hard on herself. And though she doesn't put on a Hollywood penance performance, she does maintain her dignity, having been troubled for the better part of a life. Her brutal honesty can be seen in a poignant moment when she makes a comparison between herself and Sophie Scholl, who was the same age as Junge.

Although the film appears to have been shot and edited by first year film students, the film is important in that it portrays a slice of history firsthand. Frau Junge is clearly intelligent and remarkably clear about her experience. It is simply amazing how much detail she remembers, and after so much time! It's also obvious that this experience colored and directed the remainder of her life.

I wish the film was longer. I'm no history buff, but the Junge's recollections kept me glued to the set, pausing on the subtitles. The tragedy of Junge's life is that she separated herself from her feelings and repressed her experience, when she could have found some therapy by writing a detailed first-hand historical account. I think it would have come natural, her mind being wonderfully linear and her articulation of events easy to follow.

It will bother some people that Frau Junge's personal portrayal of Hitler, while unsympathetic, often countermands the megalomaniacal historical portrayal. But the reality of this film is that it is not about Hitler--it's an intimate portrait about a woman named Traudl Junge who was fated to a time and to a place.

Frau Junge makes no excuses for her naivete and, in fact, blames herself for not seeking out the truth. She speaks of Hitler's days in the bunker with painful candor and apologizes after recalling his love for his dog (which he later tests his poison capsules on) which she thinks is, in the greater picture, a frivolous memory. She also recalls an attempt on Hitler's life, his last-minute marriage to Eva Braun and the announcement that Hitler's body had been burned per his last wish. Nobody else who was with Hitler on his last day has ever spoken out and this is a fascinating, historical and important testimony.

I originally rented this from a video store. I wasn't sure what I was going to see, but this turned out to be one of the most interesting DVD's I have seen in a long time. While I am not a Hitler fan, I am curious about this monster and what kind of people were around him at the time of his madness.

Most secretaries (such as I) get to know people in a slightly different way. I think that is what was so fascinating about this woman. Evidently, she was discarded by other Germans and never got to tell her story. While I know some history on Hitler, this documentary shed new light on the personal side of the man. He was not much better, but there was a side of him that appeared to be somewhat human at times.

I now own a copy of this DVD, as I collect documentaries and biographies on film. I highly recommend this to individuals interested in Hitler who think they know everything about him -- there was more.

I was initially briefly disappointed with this video. Expecting it to be a documantary, I was surprised to see, about twenty minutes into the film, that it was and would remain a simply filmed interview. There would be no artsy cut-aways to old newsreels, no family photos, indeed, not even a vintage, time relevant photograph of the films subject, Traudi Junge. Though I was intrigued with hearing the story of Hitlers personal secretary, I had expected something more dramatic. I soon realized that there could be nothing more dramatic than being privy to the recollections of Frau Junges short but life altering time with Hitler. Though I speak no German, and I don't doubt the word of those who have commented that one would get more out of the film should they speak German, I had no problem with the normally dreaded subtitles. Traudi Junge's expressions and inflections transcended any language barrier. When I first learned that these were memories she has never publicly, and rarely even privately, spoken of, I was doubtful. However, after watching and listening to her, and sensing the huge release from her that divulging the memories of that time gave her, and her spontaneity in recounting those memories, I was no longer doubtful. Her bottled up emotion is palpable. I must admit that I, like many, also have my doubts about all those who claimed to know next to nothing of the carnage that Hitler and his social order were inflicting. But Frau Junge so convincingly and eloquently reflects on that time when she was but a twenty two year old, naieve young girl, that you can almost see that young girl before you, though you are looking at a woman in her early eighties. She admits to guilt at her early admiration for Hitler, and also guilt and shock at her later findings of what had been going on in the world, outside of the insular and sheltered space of Hitler's bunker. There is much sadness in her recounting of the wars final days, when Hitler admitted to defeat, and surrender was imminent. She talks thoughtfully and hauntingly of the planned suicides of not only herself, but Hitler, Eva Braun, Goebbles and his family, which included his six children. Though she admits to a "black hole" in her memories of certain events, she somehow escaped after Hitler's suicide. She was held captive at various locations after the war, then released. Her story had been buried in guilt, and the desire to forget a shameful time, best not talked about. She finally agreed to be interviewed sixty years after those events. This is a fascinating and different look at that time, and at the man who is considered a monster, the personification of evil. She now estimates him as such also, though seems as perplexed as anyone would be in describing this same man who, in private, resembled more a kindly old gentleman. Frau Junge was a thoughtful, intelligent, lovely lady, who was haunted for years by her unwanted but undeniable association with him. This is an oddly touching film about a horrific subject. That she died the day after this film premiered in 2002 is also very touching. As told by another, some of her last words were "at last, I can begin to forgive myself..."

This documentary is nothing fancy-- no music, no old photographs, no fancy camerawork, and no artistic re-enactment footage. It is a straightforward compilation of three interviews with one of Hitler's secretaries, filmed shortly before her death, in German with subtitles. It is fascinating. And you should watch it. History books are just compilations of data stamped with the opinions of everybody who handles it. This is as close as most of us can get to a direct source, free of the obscuring glaze of interpretation and analysis.

Traudl Junge became Hitler's secretary in late 1942 and thus never knew Hitler at his charismatic peak. He was already drug-addicted, prematurely old and much diminished by the time Junge became his employee. Still she was mesmerized by his strange and potent ability to control and charm all in his inner circle. Hitler treated her always in a fatherly, kind manner and she responded to his friendly overtures and was in his sway in the two and half years she worked under him.

The film is shot in intense close-up, with only Junge visible. She speaks candidly about her years with Hitler and much time is spent on the last days in the Bunker. Junge was urged by Hitler to escape Berlin and go to the Obersalzberg (and the American zone of occupation), but she, along with the other secretaries and Eva Braun, stubbornly remained to the very last. Unfortunately, Junge was raped in Berlin by Russian soldiers shortly after Hitler's death.

There are no sensational revelations here, Junge was always rather contained and guarded in her remarks about Hitler, but she opens up more than ever before. This was filmed shortly before her death and in interviews, she admitted that she felt guilty for supporting and admiring a man who was a mass murderer. She tries in this film to explain his fascination, but she comes up a little short. This film is more enjoyable if you understand German, otherwise the subtitles are a little annoying. Still, a recommended buy.

I got this DVD out from the library mainly out of curiosity, I have to admit that like another reviewer I was not really expecting to find this riveting, especially as it was in German with sub-titles as well as being just one person speaking to an unseen interviewer, answering questions about the years that she (Traudl Junge) spent as Hitler's youngest secretary until the fall of the bunker in Berlin in 1945.

I sat and watched this DVD without getting up for a break, it was so fascinating and I was also surprised that I felt some compassion for Traudl Junge, after all she worked for a cruel despot who ordered the murder of millions of innocent people which included not only those of the Jewish race but Gypsies, people who dared to be openly Gay, Jehovah's Witnesses and so many others I don't have enough room in this critique to name them.

Traudl Junge's ability to bring out in me, a hardened cynic when it comes to the Nazis and their crimes against humanity, any kind of compassion, shocked the socks off me I can tell you. I sat and listened to this old and very dignified woman who made no attempt to excuse who and what she had been during the war but she never came across (at least to me) as an apologist for Hitler, rather she saw the foolishness of her youth and the absolute banality of evil into which she and many other dropped into with such ease.

She also gave an insight into a man who has become an enigma, she did not make him human, he lost his humanity long ago, but she gave a sense of who he was through her dialogue, how charming he could be, his odd little foibles such him being an ardent vegetarian and his passion for dogs, all qualities what should endear you to a person but in this case only repel you when you learn who the person is with these qualities.

Blind Spot is surprisingly riveting, you want to hear what Traudl has to say and I ended up watching it all in one go when I thought I would flick through it and watch it piece meal if at all.

Worth watching, and if you get the chance see the film "Downfall" and also read the book "Until the Final Hour - Hitler's Last Secretary," all three will help you understand the person, Traudl Junge was and also who the man she worked for, and where as with Traudl I have some compassion, for Hitler I have no compassion whatsoever even after watching one film, one documentary and reading one book that looks at his life through the eyes of other people and no matter who the person is, you still find him wanting.

This DVD (with not a single extra: No documentary about Hitler/the Nazis or anything else) is interesting, but with it you get two things: very detailed information of dialogue concerning Hitler as well as interesting asides on the Downfall of Nazism's last days. Of the latter, our interviewee, Hitler's secretary, offers such odd fare as this: "Eva Braun once said to the Fuhrer, 'You know there's a statue up there [outside, above Hitler's bunker in Berlin] and if you win the war, I'd like you to buy it for me.' And then he [Hitler] said: 'But I don't know who it belongs to. It's state property. I can't just buy it and put it in your private garden.' Then she said: 'But if you manage to triumph over the Russians you could make an exception just this once.' And it was really bizarre, you see, because conversations like that actually did take place, and then afterwards we would go back to discussing the best way to commit suicide." More important details also are offered, but most of what are offered therein can be seen in another film as well. So, you just might as well be better off watching the new German film entitled "Downfall: Hitler and the End of the Third Reich" instead of this c-span-like interview on tape. Mind you, what Hitler's former secretary has to say is often very interesting, but---let me give you a sample first: "All of a sudden he [Hitler] opened the door of the conference room, walked into the anteroom, to his study and sent for us---I mean the women who were still there and he said: 'All is lost. You must leave Berlin at once.' His face was like a mask of stone. In fact, it already looked as though he were wearing a death mask. We stood there, completely stunned, and then Eva Braun walked up to him, took both his hands in hers and said: 'But you must know I'll stay with you. I shall never leave you.' And then he leaned foward and for the first time that anyone had ever seen he kissed her on the lips." Interesting yes, but you can see it played out completely in the new film mentioned above. The "Downfall" film, in fact, relies heavily on Frau Junge's recollections so you could just as well watch the film and skip this interview DVD. Or, rather, borrow this interview DVD from your local library or rent it before seeing/buying "Downfall" (when it becomes available--it's still in some theaters as of april 2005). "Downfall" is the film to see, in other words---Don't even consider this interview DVD without intending to see "Downfall" too, at least. One thing this interview DVD (with absolutely no special features or extras) does have over the film I've mentioned way too often already is Frau Junge's use of the term "Fuhrer" to refer to Hitler at times. For instance: "...Otto Gunsche came up the stairs from the Fuhrer's bunker..."; "...suddenly there I was, little Traudl Humps, sitting opposite the Fuhrer."; Of Hanna Reitsch, the aviator: "I never saw a woman greet the Fuhrer with such obsessive devotion..." Admittedly, she does call Hitler a criminal too, as well as admitting having experienced guilt for having liked him, but it's ambiguous. Once she heard that Hitler committed suicide she recalls: "I felt such hatred for Hitler because he had abandoned us, a very personal hatred." Previously Hitler dictated his personal testament to her, in which she quotes him as saying: "The struggle was necessary in order to prevent a worst fate and save the world [from Bolshevism]." "The German people were not ready for their mission. So they must perish." Such murderous disregard for millions she seemingly puts behind her personal berayal, but that doesn't stop her from continuing to refer to Hitler as 'the leader'; ie., "Fuhrer" on more than several occassions within 80+ minutes of speaking. Rather odd, I'd say; just that---and that's the only thing I think this interview offers that bests "Downfall." Cheers!

Blind Spot is a documentary showcasing a woman who saw Adolf Hitler in his most mundane and banal moments. And, as "Hitler's Table Talk" lets us know, those moments were as boring and unsensational as they could possibly be (when not filled with deranged conspiracy theories). There is only one star in the this movie, Traudl Lunge, and sometimes we even get to witness her watching herself on video from a coach in her apartment. Blind Spot is the product of numerous interviews conducted in 2001 with Hitler's former secretary, Traudl Lunge. The only setting for the film is the inside of Lunge's Munich apartment so action lovers should be cautious. The timing for the discussions turned out to be most fortuitous as Lunge died the following year. She speaks to free her conscience and ease her sense of responsibility. Yet, what exactly was she responsible for? It's quite hard to say. No source that I've read regarding her has been condemnatory. She was a simple typist given a job with fantastic access to one of the most revolting minds and personnas of history. The only complication is that Lunge really loved her Fuhrer as he was a personal father figure on top of being the nation's leader. He became the father she never had. This tortures her even though it would have been impossible for anyone not to have noticed the Chancellor's human qualities when stationed near him for so long a time. Had he not exuded such qualities it would have been most unlikely that he would have been selected to lead a political party in the first place.

In Traudl Lunge we have a young woman who nondramatically ate, listened and typed with Hitler. He preferred eating meals with his secretaries as they were non-threatening and did not have a contradictory information to impart in his presence. We learn, both throughout the film and particularly at the end, that Lunge suffered tremendous misery due to her having favorable impressions of Fuhrer at the time of her employment. This is inappropriate in my mind as she was never in any position to know of the vast criminality that was committed by the NAZIs during the course of their reign.

The film might better be called "tunnelvision" as Lunge really only seemed to be intrigued about daily events concerning her during World War II. In this way she was no different from any other 22 year old. Her self-absorption may well have been her only real blind spot, yet, when evaluating those individuals who served the National Socialists, one must be careful not to forget that a person's worldview was completely crafted by the distortions of the regieme. Their press was only a press in name. The stories they produced were uniform and 100% propaganda. It is quite likely that Lunge would have lived until May of 1945 without ever reading or hearing anything that was even remotely critical of Adolf Hitler. There were no opposition magazines or radio stations for her to have heard dissenting voices as there are for those of us in the present. Her boss was regarded as the greatest living German and the second coming of Fredrich the Great. Junge did not appear to have the faculties or perspective required to have rebelled against the dogma around her. Paralyzing guilt, at least in her case, does not appear to have been justified; although certainly I would not say the same thing about the German people as a whole.

My only complaint about this documentary is a technical one. We are never given a pictorial biography of Lunge for the purposes of background information. Photos and past interviews were certainly available to the director as she was interviewed extensively for the old television series "A World at War." If we were "shown" more about her life history, then the film could have been even better. Yet, due to the topic and the "rivetation" of one's eyes, I must give it five stars anyway.