Rise of Hitler

A child standing at a window. This is one of the very first scenes from the movie. The child's name, Adolf Hitler. The Movie, Hitler: The Rise OF Evil. The movie portrays the life of Hitler from the time of his father's death to his rise to power in the German offices. What may be common knowledge to a history buff is the timeline that the movie was based off of: Hitler's mother dies, he is rejected from art school, joins German army, receives iron cross, becomes active in the Nazi party, the Beer Hall Putsch, arrested, writes Mein Kempf, creates bodyguards known as the SS, runs for president but loses, becomes chancellor to the president, combines the president and chancellor titles when the former president dies.

When Adolf Hitler's (Robert Carlyle) father Alois Hitler (Ian Hogg) dies of a heart attack when Hitler was 13 life becomes a little less abusive for him. Now being able to peruse his career in art he attempts to get into the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna but fails the exam in 1907. During the same year his mother Klara Hitler (Stockard Channing) dies of breast cancer. After receiving his inheritance on his 24th birthday Hitler moves to Munich, Germany. Here he enlists in the German army. While serving on the Western front in France Hitler was shot in the leg. As soon as that had heeled he was back out onto the field where he received his iron cross for his bravery on the frontline. As soon as the war was over Hitler joined the Germans Socialist Party, later to be called the Nazi party. Drawn to this party by Hitler's persuasive talks were Rudolf Hess (James Babson), Ernst Hansfstaengl (Live Schreiber), his wife Helene Hansfstaengl (Julianna Margulies), and Hermann GÐ"¶ring (Chris Larkin).

When uprising to overthrow the government fails Hitler is sent to prison for treason. While in Prison he writes the book Mein Kempf. When he is released on parole Hitler rents a country house in the Bavarian Alps and hires his half-sister Angela Raubal (Julie-Ann Hassett) to manage it. Hitler soon becomes infatuated with his niece Geil Raubal (Jenna Malone). Soon he moves back to Munich taking Geli with him. Hitler creates the SS as his personal bodyguards. After not being able to take her uncle anymore Geli commits suicide. Hitler mourns Geli but moves on to Eva Braun (Zoe Telford). In 1993 Hitler runs for president but loses. He demands to become the chancellor and eventually becomes it. The position was not quickly given and the president needed much convincing. As soon as the president Paul Von Hindenburg (Peter O'Toole) died Hitler combined the offices of president and chancellor and assumed both positions.

My opinion of the movie is that it was ok. It did a good job of explaining Hitler's life and doing it in a non-documentary way but it wasn't the greatest. The Validity of showing the movie in class was to give a different perspective of Hitler's life. The only one we usually ever get is the drab one from a book. This one was more interesting because it was visual. It also showed us some of the things