32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid Representation of the Inner Workings of Hitler's Reich, May 1, 2000
Inside the Third Reich purports to give the viewer a behind the scenes look at the inner dealings of Hitler's Nazi Party. In many respects, it accomplishes this purpose admirably, but in many others, it must be carefully weighed against other, more objective, sources.
Rutger Hauer does a commendable job of portraying Albert Speer, Hitler's chief architect and one of the very few Nazi operatives to successfully stand up to the Fuhrer. He provides an excellent vehicle for depicting the petty but often deadly jealosies that abounded within the Nazi inner circle, particularly well done as relates to Martin Bormann and Josef Goebbels.
Unfortunately, the film attempts to all but whitewash Speer who, although not a major player in many of the Reich's more notorious excesses, was nonetheless directly involved, far more than revisionist historians wish to have believed.
Be that as is may, the movie itself is excellent. The tone is somber and studious, taking a near documentary approach in many of its historical depictions. Care is taken to allow many of the peripheral characters to develop into fully involved human beings whom the viewer can identify with, rather than mere statistics. Strangely, however, this careful approach does not extent to the major Nazi figures, particularly Himmler and Bormann, who come off as near caricatures rather than people.
The story follows historical reality quite closely, achieving a conclusion that is both unsettling and emotionally confused, a remarkably accurate portrayal of the state of the German people at the conclusion of hostilities.
Derek Jacobi gives a powerful and surprisingly human performance as Hitler, often refreshingly understated and only occasionally reverting to the histrionics by which the dictator is frequently stereotyped.
This production is far from perfect, but it does give the viewer a disturbing glimpse at the internal function of the Nazi decision making process. Whether viewed for its historical significance or simply as a very good piece of drama, Inside the Third Reich will not disappoint.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Miniseries, August 14, 2006
This review is from: Inside the Third Reich [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This movie is one of my favorites. It runs 4 hours so you have to have time available to view it all. The show starts out showing some of the horrors of the holocaust and some of the death and destruction caused by World War II. Let the squeamish beware.
No question, this miniseries comes from the early-1980's and is limited by special effects and budget available at the time. By comparison, "Hitler: The Rise of Evil," from 2003, is as good if not better. Still, if one pays attention to the main story and the performances given by the many featured actors, "Inside the Third Reich" is worth anyone's time.
The cast is a star-studded one. Rutger Hauer plays Albert Speer and John Gielgud plays his father. Derek Jacobi is Adolph Hitler and Blythe Danner plays Speer's wife, Marguerite. Among other notable actors are Randy Quaid, Robert Vaughn, Maria Schell, Viveca Lindfors, Stephen Collins, Ian Holm, and Elke Sommer. There are others, too. In a TV miniseries, we'll probably never see their like again.
There are several memorable scenes in this show, but the one that strikes me most occurs about 25 minutes from the start. It's where Hitler addresses a university audience in Germany during the early-1930's. Included in the audience is the story's hero, Albert Speer. (Speer would later become Hitler's architect and chief armaments minister). Hitler tells of pawnbrokers taking money from elderly Germans, "so they can eat one more day." He brings the house down several times with his remarks: "Yes, I do over-use that word [unshakeable]. No more pawnbrokers! I need your help!" Even the skeptical Speer is seen rising with the crowd as if captured by an invisible force.
For me, the performance of Derek Jacobi is absolutely riveting. You wonder what scenes he may have been in that were edited out due to length of the show; also, if they'd be added back in should a DVD ever be produced. Those scenes would be worth the price of the disk, in my book.
Another memorable scene occurs earlier in the show where Albert Speer is a child and John Gielgud is his noble father. Albert is shown sleeping on the hard floor of his bedroom rather than in his bed. The father wonders about this and then discovers that Albert is doing this because he wants to share the hardships of troops returning from battle during World War-I. Quite touching.
Yet another scene is where Hitler inspects the new Chancellory building, designed by his protege, Speer. At the end of an impressive tour of the place, Hitler turns to Speer with tears in his eyes and says, "Well done."
A disturbing scene occurs in the 2nd half of the movie where Speer goes on a field trip to a slave labor camp. He's upset at the low production level and finds that the laborers, mainly Russian POW's, are on starvation rations. One of the laborers is asked questions and then speaks up to Speer. After Speer departs, the Russian is slugged by guards and probably dies.
Toward the end, Speer visits Hitler and confesses he hasn't carried out the Fuhrer's order on scorched earth. Instead of ordering Speer to be punished, as you'd expect, Hitler says they'll "talk about it later." Speer escapes and lives to tell the tale.
Finally, when Speer is told of Hitler's death he breaks down and cries. Very odd, but effective.
Of all the stars and production value, I think Derek Jacobi, as Hitler, stands out most for me. His performance explains a lot about how a man like Hitler could do what he did. Yes, there are the ranting and raving scenes, like at the airport where Hitler is barnstorming Germany trying to get elected. But he had strange, instinctive qualities and was able to entice and persuade. You wonder what unnatural powers may have sustained and encouraged him, the embodiment of true evil.
With all the productions that are coming out on DVD, this one deserves special treatment. It's a 5-star production and everyone concerned about rising fascism today, should see it.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, and reasonably faithful to the book., May 11, 2003
This review is from: Inside the Third Reich [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This movie is fairly faithful to "Inside the Third Reich" authored by Albert Speer while in prison. While it has gotten a barrage of criticism here on Amazon, I liked it. Rutger Hauer puts in a fine performance as Speer. The actors who play Hitler and the other major characters also do good jobs. This movie does a creditable job explaining who Speer was, and what he did, at least according to Speer as based upon his book.
This is very watchable historical drama. I hope it is soon available on DVD.
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