Er ist wieder da

How to make a comedy out of very tragic events and characters? Adrian Brody did it in "Life Is Beautiful" about life in a concentration camp. "Look Who's Back" does it via the premise that Adolf Hitler returns to modern day Germany. Of course everyone believes that he is an actor - one who disturbingly never steps out of character. The audience knows that he cannot - as he actually is Hitler. Much of the film is humorous as Hitler tries to reestablish himself as "The Fuhrer" and tries to understand and cope with modern day technology and attitudes.

Oliver Masucci is brilliant as Hitler -playing the role so straight that he became very scary near the end. The brilliance of Hitler was aptly demonstrated as people began responding to the hate - filled rhetoric he employed on various television shows. In real life the industrialists supported Hitler because they were sure they could control him - they could not. The church supported him because they thought he would be useful to them and that they could control him - they could not. Finally the German Army threw in with him because they wanted to get rid of their rivals - Hitler's "brown shirt" Army - the Sturmabteilung (SA). He got rid of Strasser and Rohm and thousands of others as he dismantled the organization which carried him to power. But alas the Army also could not control him.

In the movie, he becomes a media star because of viewership and ratings. We see glimpses of the audience saying like "I think I agree with him, and he makes a lot of sense." The TV moguls are building their careers on his outrageousness and resulting popularity.

His grasp on people is creepy, insidious and feels quite realistic. This film shows you how riveting he could be - and gives you a glimpse into how he came to power.

So, beyond laughs - the message clearly is that this could happen again. We must be aware of potential dictators in our midst. A few people in the movie saw that he really was Hitler - and they were discarded at the end of the movie.

This movie is not a condemnation of Germany - past or present. Hitler in the movie postulates at the end of the film that we cannot get rid of him - because he is a part of us. I hope that is not true.

"Even Poland still exists! This war has been useless!" erupts Adolf Hitler not too long after the movie has started. This is one of the many instances one has to fight the urge to spit one's drink all over the place. A fish out of water if there was ever one, Look Who's Back puts an outrageous twist on the stuff of legend (Elvis not dead, neither Marylin, or MJ) and precipitates a resurrected Hitler in contemporary Germany. The Fürher still thinks he's on command; harsh reality quickly enlightens him: he is a laughing stock, with a future in stand up comic.

This movie is way better that it should be, a miracle walk on a very, very tight rope. The first reason is of course the delightful performance of Oliver Masucci, unrecognisable behind his moustache. Compared to him, the rest of the cast is a bit run-of-the-mill, but most of the scenes involving public appearances have been improvised, and what the common German people have to say about a Hitler comeback is as hilarious as it is frightening.

What could have been a series of vignettes à la Sacha Baron Cohen takes the trouble of developing a plot and various characters, to whom Hitler reacts with a mix of genuine passion for "the German people" and a sly denial of anything racist or xenophobic. He's the perfect politician, with an answer to any question and at least three escape routes planned for any quagmire.

Carefully editing a mix of newsreel (the Angela Merkel cameo, gratified with "the charisma of a cold noodle", is priceless), movie references (the Leni Riefenstahl opening title, the now-iconic Bruno Ganz' bunker scene, except it's oh so cleverly attributed to the villain of the piece) and guerrilla-style impromptu meetings, Look Who's Back manages to balance serious issues (far too many to list) and fleeting fads shedding a cruel light on our social networking culture. From an online "Adolf Hitler make- up tutorial" to a "I hate everyone but Hitler" tweet and the demonstration that Facebook is useless at recruiting Hitler Jungen, naturally springs the conclusion – it shames one to write it – that "no one ever stay mad at Hitler for very long".

Chaplin's The Great Dictator was a brave movie because it was fighting on the front of an ugly war. Look Who's Back adapts this sense of emergency and combativeness to our desperately stupid modern times. The worst thing Hitler can do is kill a puppy. Gasing whole families was "all a joke", as asserted by the latest generation of one of said families.

What to think of the world we live in, the duty of memory, the atrocities that constellated the 20th century, when one pees itself watching the most reviled person in history punctuating his nazi salute by the phrase "See you soon, Nigga"? If this blog has a meaning at all, it has found his first authentic modern monster. Bad news is it's a real one; good news is it's desperately funny.

...And that's why it was so scary.

This is a thriller. The premise is Hitler has some how come through time and believes fate has brought him here to clean house (again). However, the film was actually using this metaphor to describe the coming of the next Führer if we're not careful. If we let down our guard we absolutely WILL see the rise of the next Adolf Hitler.

The character of Hitler spoke the truth, mostly. His rhetoric cut to the heart of today's problems. It was a German production so, obviously, he spoke directly to German issues but again, Germany was just the stage and Hitler the puppet. The puppeteers were revealing a global truth wrapped in a local narrative.

Recall the time Angela Merkel, today's German Chancellor, called G.W. Bush on 9/11 and the subsequent "War on Terror" saying something to the effect of, "We've seen this before...!" THIS is what the movie is getting at.

This film is filled with amazing though often chilling street interviews featuring Hitler interrogating work-a-day people. Many of the younger of these people so open to the apparent humor or irony were embracing him, taking "Hitler selfies" - other older spectators and interviewees apparently LONGED for someone to take the reins and whip (Germany) into shape, getting rid of "suspicious-looking, bearded Salafists", etc. And these were not actors. The film was illustrating for you how Hitler rose to power the first time and how easily and quickly it could happen again.

This was a beautifully done movie. I have the book as well and I prefer the movie.

I like movies that make me think. Er ist wieder da, was suggested to me as a comedy, and not being particularly fond of comedies, what I got was way more than expected.

The movie treads a sensitive line with sufficient care, but what is most important to me, with plausibility. Even the few places where the script becomes "unreal", in general the coherence and treatment of the insertion of THE character in present society is preserved, and that is for me an enormous value in itself. The probing of current times by the use of this major historical character is remarkably able to become an exercise of philosophy and even introspection.

In my opinion an extremely challenging script becomes here alive by his own merits, and the acting supports this substrate quite solidly.

I laughed, and even if I today would better file it as a tragicomedy, For the sake of our times let's call it a comedy. And I very much hope, from the bottom of my heart that, in the next years to come we can continue to say, that it was so.

Imagine a film made guerilla-style like "Borat"....but with a guy dressed up like Hitler walking about modern day Germany! Well, you don't really need to imagine too much as some crazy filmmakers have done that with the film "Look Who's Back"!! Yes, a film crew follows Oliver Masucci as he impersonates Hitler and plays it 100% straight!

Unlike "Borat" where you know that it's just Sasha Baron Cohen pretending to be from Kazakstan, in this film Masucci plays it as if he really is Hitler and never breaks character. When the film begins, he is inexplicably transported from Germany in 1945 to the present day. At first, he's very confused. Then, he develops a plan...to return to politics and take Germany into the future! To do this, he enlists the help of an unemployed filmmaker, Sawatski...and together they travel throughout the country...meeting people, talking politics and becoming an internet phenomenon! Where does all this lead to? See this very insightful film.

The idea of this film is thoroughly distasteful and I actually thought might be illegal in light of German laws about the portrayal of Nazis and Hitler. However, the film manages to somehow be funny, great political commentary and not as distasteful and awful as you might imagine. This is because some of the folks in this film are not actors...and their reactions to Hitler are incredibly telling. Many of them seem to like Hitler and his message...especially regarding the negative influence immigrants have made on Germany. Again and again, folks agree with 'Hitler' and his crazy ideas while others just think it's a funny or incredibly unfunny joke...and these reactions are indeed fascinating. In addition, the way that television takes to him and his crass message is a real indictment of the moral bankruptcy of many in the media...and one that is highly reminiscent of the great 70s parody, Network.

Before you start sending me hate mail, I suggest you try seeing this odd and incredibly offensive film for yourself. While it clearly is wrong on one level...it manages to actually have some incredible political and social commentary...making it clever and a sad indictment of the culture and the media. The film's contention, amazingly, is that he'd probably fit in just fine if such a thing actually did happen! What an unusual and compelling movie...and one that just debuted on Netflix this month. Clearly, you ain't seen nothing' until you've seen this one!