Customer Reviews

Eva Braun Her Home Movies Complete and Uncut Vol. 1

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Yes, there are some scenes that are washed out or too dark & there are plenty of wateraction scenes, but keep in mind that this young lady was filming with her camera for her own entertainment and certainly had no ideas of her home movies being captured by the US Army or published for the world's critique some three quarters of a century later. These movies are just that, the good, the bad and always the interesting. Simply put, these movies reflect what was important and enjoyable to Eva Hitler nee Braun. She was a young lady thrust into the political vortex of great power and somehow still maintained her balance, sense of humor and happiness. There are scenes of children, flowers, lakes, snow capped mountains, the Berghof, the Fuhrer, top National Socialist leaders, her friends, her sister's wedding, etc. Take them for what they are and learn from them. The format of no commentary and using classical music as a background is probably the best way to present them since any comments would only be negative and take away from her original intent. Afterall we have heard enough anti-Hitler propaganda to last ten generations since 1933 and for once it is a pleasure to be able to study her films without distraction. This set of films on three cd's is an outstanding historical assest for research and gives one, if they should allow, a peek into the mind of one Bavarian girl who enjoyed life as much as her circumstances would allow and who also had a touch of being an modest film artist.

I was very pleased to see that all of Eva Braun's home movies have finally been released on DVD, but I was GREATLY dissapointed upon viewing each of the 3 volumes. The video transfer could not be worse. The same film clips which always appeared vivid and well balanced colorwise in all other places I've seen them are often amazingly dark or washed out. If I could find the web address of the manufacturer of these discs I would ask how they were able to take such good quality film and ruin it so completely. It looks like third or fourth generation source films were used. A total waste of time and money. I'm hoping someone else releases a complete version of these films that we could at least see clearly. AWFUL VIDEO QUALITY.

This is the first disc of a three disc set which collectively contain all of the original home movie footage captured by the Allies in 1945. These films were shot by Adolph Hitler's mistress and later, wife (Eva Braun - Hitler) and are presented here in their entirety for the very first time ever. Captured by the Allies at the close of World War II, the home movies of Eva Braun clocked in at just under five and 1/2 hours. This intimate footage shows the private life of Hitler, Eva Braun and the Fuhrer's inner circle. Although many clips of these films are well known and have appeared in documentaries, only a small fraction of the footage has ever been broadcast on television and has never before been released to the general public.

One of the most disturbing aspects of these films is that Hitler is shown in a light never seen in the media. I.e.: playing with dogs, small children and relaxing at his mountain retreat "The Berghof" with friends, oftentimes laughing and joking. The footage includes scenes with many top leaders of the Third Reich including Himmler, Reinhardt Heydrich, Albert Speer, Joseph Goebbels and the ever present Martin Bormann (Hitler's Secretary). Both eerie and compelling this three volume set is a must have for any collector, military historian or any student of history.

Why are any of these people complaining? I don't know. I for one am simply thrilled that this footage is available at all. The fact is that this is footage shot over 60 years ago by an amature photographer. People should be thanking their lucky stars the footage even survived the war, let alone be made available so that we can all view it in the privacy of our living rooms.

I think the people who are complaining about the quality don't quite understand what's going on. Some said they've seen the shots better elsewhere. Well yea, maybe 5 minutes of it between 30 different History Channel shows. What the History Channel, and others, have done is digitally restored extremely short clips that they use over, and over, AND OVER again. This footage has not been digitally restored from top to bottom. It is how one would expect 60 year old film to be. A little grainy sometimes, a little dark sometimes, and other shots that are great quality too(this is where most of the footage would land). But there is over 5 hours of it that no one EVER uses. So until someone digitally remasters the COMPLETE footage... I think people should just be happy with what they have. I know I am.

This review is for all 3 DVDs. They were exactly what I assumed they'd be, so I do not at all regret purchasing them.

There is, of course, no narration or subtitles, so unless you are very familiar with the assorted characters surrounding Eva, you'll only be able to guess who most of them are. (If those who produced these DVDs could at least have imprinted as many names as possible on the screen as they were introduced, I would've given these a 5.) Hitler is only in about 10% of each DVD, and since Eva is usually the one operating the camera, (plus due to his policies) you'll never see anything regarding Hitler's affections towards her.

As far as anything revealing about Adolf Hitler's private times, you do see him interacting with children more so than anywhere else.

90% of these home movies are about Eva's relatives, times spent with them at lakes & mountain resorts, her vacation getaways, and so on.

You are left with a feeling that these could be anyone's private home movies, that is, except for Hitler being in them.

I LIKE IT IVE SEEN BITS AND SHORT CLIP OVER THE YEARS BUT IT WAS FUN TO SEE THEM UNCUT!

Many scenes in this video are very dark. It is sometimes hard to make out where people are standing and chatting. I have seen some of the footage in these home videos in many other documentaries and they really do come out much sharper.

They must rerelease this archived material again with better picture quality!

First off, I will like to say that these are not the best DVD sets of the Eva Braun films you can find but overall its a great package. Basically you get all the 16mm film reels that were discovered at Hitler's Berghof in 1945. The film quality is identical to the original films that are now stored at the National Archives. The films are in color and black & white with no audio sound except for a classical soundtrack that was added. Many people feel that these are bad video transfers because they saw better quality footage on the History Channel. The fact is that the History Channel uses cutting edge software technology to restore and enhance short film clips for their documentaries. The films stored in the National Archives have not been retouched in any way, and that is basically what you get in these DVDs. The only minor complaint that I have is that there are other DVD sets of these films (not found at Amazon), that contain full subtitles describing all people, places and events. Its a bummer these DVDs dont have the subtitles but nevertheless its a must buy for any history buff.

I agree with History Fan ,, what he said at 2004 is correct and i can't say more ... this DVD collection is no more than a third or fourth generation VHS source films and it could not be worse in quality ..

This is the first disc of a three disc set which collectively contain all of the original home movie footage captured by the Allies in 1945. These films were shot by Adolph Hitler's mistress and later, wife (Eva Braun - Hitler) and are presented here in their entirety for the very first time ever. Captured by the Allies at the close of World War II, the home movies of Eva Braun clocked in at just under five and 1/2 hours. This intimate footage shows the private life of Hitler, Eva Braun and the Fuhrer's inner circle. Although many clips of these films are well known and have appeared in documentaries, only a small fraction of the footage has ever been broadcast on television and has never before been released to the general public.

One of the most disturbing aspects of these films is that Hitler is shown in a light never seen in the media. I.e.: playing with dogs, small children and relaxing at his mountain retreat "The Berghof" with friends, oftentimes laughing and joking. The footage includes scenes with many top leaders of the Third Reich including Himmler, Reinhardt Heydrich, Albert Speer, Joseph Goebbels and the ever present Martin Bormann (Hitler's Secretary). Both eerie and compelling this three volume set is a must have for any collector, military historian or any student of history.