Wow! Such a good movie.

Perfect cast and a good story

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Panik65's review is spot on. Very surprising to see how incompetent Hitler actually functioned behind the scenes, spending most of his time sleeping, watching movies and daydreaming about grondoise architectural plans. One of a few solid documentaries I've seen that supports the idea that early Nazi success was due to an unbelievable streak of luck, rather than smart planning or strategic thinking. Ultimately, Hitler's Germany came crashing down due to his complete inability to distinguish fantasy from reality, which only becomes apparent to those around him once forced to face the formidable military opposition he clumsily dragged into the war.

I second what a lot of other reviewers have said, but only add this. Ruthless, authoritarian governments are often portrayed as being "efficient" - one of Mussolinis mottos was that he would "keep the trains running on time." The Nazi propaganda machine pushed this image of the efficiency of fascism so well it persists to this day. This documentary show the reality - the Nazi's were grossly incompetent as cronyism very quickly set in, as it does in all such tyrannical states. I'm also tired of this myth that the Nazis "almost won" - they did not only not "almost win" WW2, they got completely obliterated and got their own country destroyed.

It is ironic that in their attempt to prove Germans a "Superior Race" Hitler and Nazi supporters demonstrated themselves to be more sub-human than the "sub-humans" they so cavalierly murdered and profited from. It was most interesting to me in this series to see interviews of the "by standers" of the war. One citizens that benefited from and supported the forcing of Jews into Ghettos had no remorse at withholding food he had access to from starving people after they could no longer bribe him with diamonds for bread. I rejoice that he and others have admitted on camera exactly how they feel. You see that, while a Nazi soldier would have been shot for disobeying orders, there was no coercion at all for many of the people who betrayed their fellow citizens who were Jews. They did it freely and from their evil hearts. It is also clear that people wanted to be proud. They wanted to be big shots. They wanted anyone other than themselves to be the unpopular ones as the Germans were after World War I. So they developed this egomaniacal belief of their complete perfection and invincibility. When one sees the pattern of belief and thinking of the ordinary German citizen of that time, it becomes a delicious irony, rather than a tragedy that the Communists took over East Berlin. Many of those very same people who ended up behind that Wall had cheered when the German Jews were hauled away to be gassed. The Jews were specifically hated because of the belief they were all Communists. And it is once again ironic that the Germans who sought so much to regain their proud, good image after World War I etched a more permanent stain on themselves in trying to remove the first one. Almost like a shameful tattoo.

Perhaps the most solid and interesting documentary I have ever seen. This exploration of Nazi history attains a scholarly approach that is neither inflammatory nor preachy, helping viewers to see how the Nazis came to power and how the atrocities came to be committed. It was not all about one big, bad wolf who scared everyone into blind obedience. Unlike Michael Moore's humor, flash-and-propaganda documentaries, this one not only interviews the victims as well as perpetrators without comment but also presents photographs and historical, archival documents and footage to illustrate the cool narration of facts. Amazingly, it manages to avoid commentary while presenting and interviewing those involved, including Nazis who were remorseful as well as those who were not, without ridicule. It is quite astonishing to hear how cold-blooded people were, right from their own mouths. Many knew what they were doing and some even made their own decisions about their cruelty and testified right on camera. Several still have no remorse about it. As in quality scholarly historical scholarship, everyone stands on their own, leaving the audience members with the complete picture, facts, angles, voices, footage and photos to think for themselves. Remarkable collection and tight, professional filmmaking (choices, interviews and editing) - unbelievably thorough in research and excellent in presentation. An exemplary must-see for any history buff or documentary maker or anyone wondering about the Nazis. 10 out of 10