Faking Hitler, l'arnaque du siècle

Even 80 years on, it can't be easy producing a show about Hitler. But "Faking Hitler" is a success.

It resists the urge to preach about the morality of the situation or of the era, and plays it quite "light". This means that the story develops at a good pace and successfully combines humourous moments with a reflection on German attitudes to World War II in the 80s.

At it's heart it's about the relationship between Gerd Heidemann (Lars Heidinger), a magazine journalist who desperately wants to believe has has got the scoop of the century, and Konrad Kujau (Moritz Bleibtreu), a charismatic but sloppy forger who can't believe the opportunity that has fallen into his hands. Both mingle in Nazi-sympathetic circles, decades on from the fall of Hitler. Both are flawed men.

The story's moral core comes from Sinje Irslinger's Elisabeth, a young Stern journalist who has doubts about the diaries, and about her own family's history.

Thankfully the morality is not overdone and maintains dramatic tension rather than turning into a polemic.

It's only based on a true story so outside of Heidemann and Kujau the characters are mostly fictional. Fortunately the show gets the balance between the truth, the reinterpretations, and the fictionalised side stories just right.

Simply put, it's an entertaining drama.

I lived through these events as a young man in Germany. I even bought the issue of Stern that alleged the magazine's journalists had found the Hitler diaries. I followed the case for years, including reading Robert Harris's book *Selling Hitler*. This limited series, "Faking Hitler," is an entertaining one, but many of the important facts are wrong or just invented. For instance, there were many more volumes of alleged diaries that had been purchased by Stern by April 1983 than the few that are presented in this series. The side story about the young journalist whose father was a war criminal in hiding? As the Germans say, Quatsch (rubbish). But the family drama provided some tension and served its purpose. Stern and its international publishing partners made more extensive (but still flawed) efforts to verify the authenticity of the diaries than are presented here. And It was the German Federal Archives, not the German Federal Criminal Police Office, that examined the documents after their public presentation and proved quickly they were absurdly crude forgeries. Etc. But if you want to experience some nostalgia for the early 80s in Germany, the series is well worth watching.

Germans revisit their national trauma topic: WW2, Nazis and Hitler. There are many series, films on the post war trauma. This one comes with a refreshing plot, though. An art forger starts to "produce" Hitler diaries and ultimately a Stern journalist falls for them. Then it develops from there with a few side stories that lead to the finale to merge everything with the main storyline.

The story is set in 1983. I thought they captured the details of that era very well. Directing, acting and script - all well managed. Nothing dull.

I give it a 7 stars because in 2021, I watched better dramas namely: Billion Dollar Code, Harry Quebert Affair, Un Avion Sans Elle, The Club, Chicago 7 etc. They were all better (not meaning Faking Hitler was bad, just others were better).

Just a small criticism. In the past German dramas had a certain feel - they were German and average. Now German dramas are much more better but they sound and feel American - not German. This one also sounded / felt American. I wish they could raise the quaility without so much Americanizing their work.

I would recommend this series to everybody.

This series for me started off well as it was done in a rather light hearted and comical manner. As it wore on though a seriousness seeped in which I considered a let down. Perhaps I'm a little young to fully consider the implications of events 80 years ago but I'll quote a 2013 article in the "New Yorker" magazine. "Young Germans today consider Adolf Hitler to be a buffoonish and somewhat comical figure; and one associated with a certain black humour".

I was hoping for such a comical vibe throughout the entire season. Students today dress up as crazed Roman Emperors at toga parties and no doubt the mad figures of the 20th centuries will be represented in the same fashion.