The Hitler Gang

Bobby Watson plays Hitler in this film that charts his rise to power from his days at the end of World War One. The film takes us through the famous moments including the Munich beer hall putsch, the writing of Mein Kampf, the burning of the Reichstag along with throwing in many of the famous characters of the time – Goebbels, Hess, Himmler, Goring, etc. It's fast moving and it's educational so worth paying attention. The film also touches on the subject of his niece, "Geli", as played by Poldi Dur . Hitler's niece died in 1931 but her death by suicide has been shrouded in mystery.

The film doesn't have an ending as such as it was made in a time when Hitler was still around. so it concludes with some patriotic propaganda as to how he must and will be stopped. The cast are good and look very similar to the real thing. Certain elements of the tale are left out – no Eva Prawn – but the film scores for being different. It provides a glimpse of this man's psychopathic disregard for life and does so without even touching on the concentration camps.

One thing you'll notice in this movie straight away - the actors all look uncannily like their real-life counterparts. However, even with look-alike actors, a movie can fall down in terms of script and acting, but not this one. Considering this movie was made in the 1940s, and in the middle of WW2 no less, the acting and direction are great, the story is not overly propagandized, and we get possibly the best portrayal of Hitler on screen until this year's 'Downfall' (Der Untergang).

Another of those movies which deserve to be classics, but which are rotting in a film vault somewhere. It is a crime that this isn't available anywhere on DVD.

With its cast of uncanny lookalikes, The Hitler Gang is a truly fascinating watch, chronicling the rise of one of history's most evil men and all done with a surprising amount of polish. It's honest in its effort to render an accurate account of the Nazis, with particular attention being paid to capturing the look of their uniforms, architecture and policies but suffers somewhat from an oversimplification of history, appearing more of a cliff notes version of Hitler's life. The film doesn't portray Hitler as crazy or as a raving lunatic; instead, he is shown as being less downright evil than a cynical, manipulative and ruthless politician. For instance, the persecution of the Jews is shown to be not a product of his fanaticism but a political calculation to search for a scapegoat for Germany's defeat in WWI. The film consciously tries to mirror the gangster noirs popular in its era, instead of conspiring to rub off other gangsters, Hitler conspires to do away with rival politicians; instead of fighting over the liquor market, they fight over controlling Germany. The film also doesn't have an ending as such, as it was made before the end of the war, so it concludes with some patriotic propaganda as to how he must and will be stopped. Regardless, The Hitler Gang is one of the more interesting and messed-up biopics you'll ever see.

Many years ago, (early 1960s), I caught part of this on late night TV. I remember part of the announcer's intro, because when my dad walked in and asked what was on, I said,'some gangster movie', only recalling the word, gang. Some years later I realized that this was a somewhat accurate, though brief, look at Hitler's rise to power. Two scenes stick in my mind. Near the beginning, there is one where AH is a soldier in WWI with a handlebar mustache. He goes up to a mirror and cuts off the ends, creating the infamous 'toothbrush' look. Later during his ascent, he walks into a beer hall with his followers, pulls a pistol out of his overcoat pocket, and fires a few shots into the air. The 'beer hall putsch' ? Early forties, black and white. The actor REALLY had Hitler down pat.

I love this film - the ganster style is hilarious - it is brilliant - not filmnoir - but has genius moments of camera work and wayyy over the top sinister acting - well worth watching...