In 1973, writer/director Philippe Mora and fellow writer Lutz Becker released Swastika, a piece of work that’s entirely archival. The footage, largely filmed by Hitler’s mistress, Eva Braun was found under a bed at Hitler’s Berchtesgaden retreat, seemingly untouched. This is a record of what historian Hannah Arendt called “the banality of evil,” meaning that men so evil can at times look very ordinary.
Much of the footage shows the Führer, Ribbentrop, Goering, and Himmler having fun, and relaxing with family and friends at Berchtesgaden, totally unburdened by the atrocities of their Nazi regime and the ultimate doom it would bring to millions of people and Germany. In most of the footage, they’ve shed their military uniforms in favor of casual, double breasted suits. The voices of the people in the film were dubbed, based largely on the testimony of witnesses. Some documentary purists may object to Lutz Becker’s decision to do so.
Mora and Lutz intercut the film footage with German propaganda and newsreels. This technique contrasts Hitler the supreme Führer, manipulating and exhorting his people, with the relaxed man we see at Berchtesgaden. Mora’s decision not to include narration allows viewers to form their own opinion about the film.
Swastika is a difficult, yet thought provoking film to watch.
This standard DVD is presented in 1.33 full frame. While it’s nice to see a mix of black and white footage, don’t expect top notch quality out of material that is more than seventy years old. Presented in German with English subtitles, adding audio to the film involved working with lip readers to come up with dialogue, and voice over actors to give the words life.
The special features include an introduction by Nazi historian Jonathan Petropoulos, a 30-minute discussion between Mora, producer David Putman and researcher Lutz Becker, a 1973 interview with Nazi architect Albert Speer, a featurette about manipulation and Nazi propaganda, a short piece on color film in Nazi Germany, and an audio track “Puncturing the Myth of Leni Riefenstahl.”
