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Summary: Insight Into Hitler's Character & Last Days of Nazi Power
Review: "Blind Spot" is an interview with Traudl Junge who, as a young woman, worked as one of Adolph Hitler's secretaries, living alongside Hitler and other prominent members of the 3rd Reich between 1942 and 1945. Before Frau Junge died, at the age of 81, she gave this interview to filmmakers André Heller and Othmar Schmiderer in which she recounts her experiences with and her impressions of Adolph Hitler and the last days of the Reich. Frau Junge (née Humps) was entirely unsophisticated in political matters and an aspiring dancer when she took a job as a secretary in the Chancellery in Berlin. At her well-connected brother-in-law's urging, and in spite of her initial disinterest, she applied for and got a better position taking dictation for the Führer himself. Hitler was kindly and protective toward her, and she liked him. Her close proximity to him gave her firsthand knowledge of Hitler's health, his ideals, his private manners and personal habits, his paranoia, and the attempts on his life, which she describes as best she can in "Blind Spot". Perhaps understandably, Frau Junge had considered her position close to the Führer and his generals as an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the War and of Nazi policies, as she would be so near their source. Not until later did she realize that, being privy to Hitler's inner circle, she was actually in a "blind spot", sheltered more than anyone from what was going on in Germany. Frau Junge's description of the activity within the Chancellory in Berlin during the last few weeks of the War constitutes at least half of the film. Her account of the bizarre events of April 1945 is truly gripping. The audience can sense the panic and hopelessness that permeated the Chancellory as the Nazi empire came crumbling down. Frau Junge's description of the harrowing political and emotional roller-coaster that impending defeat set in motion is striking.Blind Spot" is not a good film cinematographically. It consists only of interview footage, apparently taken in a living room or den, with an occasional glimpse of Frau Junge watching her own interview, which is awkward. But the film's content is revealing and provocative, a must-see for any student of World War II or for anyone curious to understand the character of Adolph Hitler. Traudl Junge's attitude toward her own role in the Nazi regime raises an interesting question. Frau Junge was not a member of the Nazi party, nor did she do anything to harm anyone. She took dictation. After the war, she felt no guilt about working for Adolph Hitler, and no one seemed to hold it against her. It wasn't until much later, when she realized that other young Germans had not all been so ignorant of Nazi policies and that many had died trying to fight them, that Frau Junge began to feel guilty for what she had not known and eventually fell into a serious depression. At the age of 81, she still seems preoccupied by feelings of guilt for having liked a man who caused so much suffering. This begs the question: To what degree are individuals responsible for the consequences of their ignorance and/or stupidity? In this Information Age, are we all obligated to understand the things we do and say, particularly if those things affect others? Are we to be condemned for the consequences of our ignorance if they are bad? If the answer is "yes", I fear that all of humanity would be damned. Perhaps the answer is, "It depends." Traudl Junge is no longer as naive as she was as Hitler's secretary. In "Blind Spot" she articulates real understanding that she has gained of how and why Adolph Hitler "manipulated the conscience" of an entire nation. Her insights are important and interesting. But I found the questions of guilt and ignorance that her experience raises to be the most relevant and provocative aspect of her story. In German with a choice of English, French, or Spanish subtitles. There are no bonus features on the DVD.
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Summary: Important Tool for Education
Review: "Blind Spot" is the final account from Hitler's secretary, Traudl Junge, about the last days of Hitler's life. The first half of the movie is mostly facts, while in the second half Junge explains well the feelings and attitudes of the people in the bunker as well as giving us a description of the atmosphere. The film's director, Andre Heller, is an Austrian Jew who is an artist, director, and architect designer. Junge chose him to record her story, and died the day after "Blind Spot" premiered.
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Summary: A Search for One's Humanity
Review: "The longer I live, the more I feel this burden, this guilt because I worked for a man and I actually liked him, but he caused such terrible suffering," observed 81 year old Traudl Junge, secretary to Adolf Hitler from 1942-1945. In 2002, after almost 60 years of silence Junge reflected on her past in a riveting 90 minute documentary. Othmar Schmiderer, a respected film maker and noted social justice advocate, does himself a disservice with obvious and sometimes amateurish camera and sound work. The off camera questions and followup from interviewer Andre Heller suggest a skillful exchange with the subject that is never intrusive. There are no photos or vintage film footage of Hitler and his generals. Just a camera where a troubled soul grapples with the meaning of her past. The film provides no revealing personal, historical, or political insights into Hitler or the era. Junge's testimony, however, is an important look into the human psyche. She acknowledges "I was so unaware and so thoughtless. I didn't notice or pay attention. That feeling has oppressed me more and more." The viewer sees a person trying to find closure and, just as important, meaning to her life. Clearly, 3 years out of her 61 as an adult, consumed her. At points in the film she is shown viewing archival material. She becomes animated. Sighs. Pulls away. And goes back to reading pages in a book. Although an octogenarian, her sharp, crystal blue eyes were as penetrating as they were sullen. Her face had a deep melancholy. "I wasn't a fervent Nazi," she said. "But nevertheless I find it hard to forgive myself for everything." Junge never had knowledge of battle plans or the horrific final solution. She took dictation on personal matters - notes to friends, congratulatory letters to dignitaries, and the like. The secretary also spent the last days with Hitler and his core staff in the underground bunker in Berlin. Her description is dismal. Bombs, gunfire, and discussions of suicide among the staff before the Russians arrived. Dark humor dominated most conversations as Hitler became increasingly withdrawn and isolated. Junge never lost her humanity. Innocence as a young woman prevented her from knowing about the reality of Hitler's reign. As a woman in the sunset of her life she reflected, "I should be angry with the child I was, that juvenile young girl . . . for failing to recognize what horrors that monster caused." Her melancholy turned into deep depression after the war when she "was walking past the memorial in Franz Josef Street to Sophie Scholl, a young girl who opposed Hitler. I realized that she was the same age as me and that she was executed the same year I started working for Hitler." Junge concedes that her youth was no excuse for ignorance. Days before the documentary premiered in Berlin Schmiderer and Heller called Jung to say goodbye. She laid dying in a hospital of lung cancer. Junge told them, "I'm starting to forgive myself." Forgiving ourselves and others is perhaps one of the greatest human challenges. Junge may have started to forgive herself, but would she, or anyone, ever forgive Hitler?
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Summary: No Excuses!
Review: Frau Junge makes no excuses for her naivete and, in fact, blames herself for not seeking out the truth. She speaks of Hitler's days in the bunker with painful candor and apologizes after recalling his love for his dog (which he later tests his poison capsules on) which she thinks is, in the greater picture, a frivolous memory. She also recalls an attempt on Hitler's life, his last-minute marriage to Eva Braun and the announcement that Hitler's body had been burned per his last wish. Nobody else who was with Hitler on his last day has ever spoken out and this is a fascinating, historical and important testimony.
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Summary: Hitler's Secretary
Review: Frau Junge was one of Hitler's secretaries from 1942 until his death in 1945. She was 22 when she got the job and apparently quite naive and without much idea of what she wanted to do in life. This movie is 1.5 hours of Frau Junge's recollections mixed with her obvious deep pain and guilt at her role in Hitler's Germany. A powerful, intense, at times painful movie best seen by a moviegoer with a strong interest in this period in German history and/or an equally strong interest in how a fundamentally good person could have been swept up to become a part of Hitler's inner circle. The movie is subtitled in English, but an understanding of German provides the moviegoer with additional flavor not caught in the subtitles.
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Summary: Why Junge was reluctant to go into detail...
Review: I am stunned by the fact that many who write reviews claim to be interested in the Third Reich, but have no idea of the current situation in the BRD (The current German government) If you are inquiring as to why Traudl Junge does not give a detailed description of her time spent as Hitler's secretary, or air more "dirt" take into consideration that as "free" as the current BRD would like the world to believe they are, that is hardly the case. At least when it comes to speaking of the Third Reich. That being said, one must also take into consideration that there have been countless attempts to get Traudl Junge improsoned for her job as Hitler's secretary. She has been tried, and found not guilty, thus her understanding of the consequences of airing too much knowledge of the Führer or inside information of the Reich, to avoid getting herself in hot water. It is quite unfortunate that due to the BRD people are afraid to tell inquiring minds more of what we want to know. I think that Frau Junge is not as remorseful as she might want you to believe on camera, and that she does show a sense of pride in being appointed the position of Hitler's secretary, after all he was the most saught out after man in Germany at the time, not to mention one of the most powerful men in the world. I found this film to be be very interesting, and definitely worth watching. At some points I felt her answers to questions were coached, perhaps by leagal counsel, but what can I say, she is covering herself. One more note worth mentioning, I must correct anyone who believes that people followed Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist party, simply because he had a way of mesmerizing an audience. The German people followed National Socialism because it restored a sense of pride in a people who have always been proud, but during the time were suffering the shame under the Treaty of Versailles. People were starving in the streets, unemployment was at an all time high, not to mention crime, and of course many Germans, especially those who served in the military in the First World War did not feel they had lost the war, but were stabbed in the back from the politicians at home. Put all of those together among other things, and you get a people desperate for a leader who is powerful, and who will rid the people of all of these problems.
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Summary: Traudl Junge was a dumb broad...
Review: I didn't expect much from this movie and I didn't get much. Traudl was a simple girl with simple tastes. She tells us in her simplistic style what it was like to be Hitler's personal secretary. What is missing from this movie is what she said to reporters after she made the movie and the day before she died. She said, "I didn't see Hitler as a bad man." She added, "I didn't speak out before now because I didn't want to be hounded by people." She might have been a simple chick, but she sure was a lot more streetwise than she lets on in her interviews. She often makes the point in the movie that when she read about the Holocaust, after the war, that she came to realize that Hitler was an evil man. Yeah right, lady! Yet, Traudl actually cries when she talked about how Hitler gave the order to shoot his dog Blondie within hours of Hitler committing suicide himself in late April/early May 1945. Traudl doesn't cry for all her boss's human victims. That's just plain cold. The makers of this movie tried to get Traudl to give juicy tidbits of the daily goings on of the inner workings of the Third Reich. We get none of that. What we get is ancedotal tidbits about how Hitler didn't correct her typing and how Hitler never talked about the Jews in her presence. Whoppie! Hitler was just a regular guy, according to her. Then again, it was her father's good buddy Martin Bormann (head of the Waffen SS) who recommended her to the job as Hitler's personal secretary. Don't waste your time and money on seeing this almost-on-her-deathbed Nazi. She took all her secrets to the grave. Who knows, maybe she even was Hitler's secret lover? She totally glossed over the reported crazed condition of Adolf Hitler in the last year of his life. We know for a fact that Hitler was popping pills like crazy at the end and she makes no mention of this in the movie. Then again, who cares? It's just a shame that Allied forces didn't do the third degree on her. I guess she still had her good looks after the war and she made good use of her natural assets. Please note: I have no sympathy for ex-Nazis and fascists. I suspect that many people who have a fascination with the Third Reich will love this movie. In my view Traudl is just another revisionist regardless of how old she was when she did her exit interview.
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Summary: Hitler's Secretary
Review: I originally rented this from a video store. I wasn't sure what I was going to see, but this turned out to be one of the most interesting DVD's I have seen in a long time. While I am not a Hitler fan, I am curious about this monster and what kind of people were around him at the time of his madness. Most secretaries (such as I) get to know people in a slightly different way. I think that is what was so fascinating about this woman. Evidently, she was discarded by other Germans and never got to tell her story. While I know some history on Hitler, this documentary shed new light on the personal side of the man. He was not much better, but there was a side of him that appeared to be somewhat human at times. I now own a copy of this DVD, as I collect documentaries and biographies on film. I highly recommend this to individuals interested in Hitler who think they know everything about him -- there was more.
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Summary: For One....Closure.
Review: I was initially briefly disappointed with this video. Expecting it to be a documantary, I was surprised to see, about twenty minutes into the film, that it was and would remain a simply filmed interview. There would be no artsy cut-aways to old newsreels, no family photos, indeed, not even a vintage, time relevant photograph of the films subject, Traudi Junge. Though I was intrigued with hearing the story of Hitlers personal secretary, I had expected something more dramatic. I soon realized that there could be nothing more dramatic than being privy to the recollections of Frau Junges short but life altering time with Hitler. Though I speak no German, and I don't doubt the word of those who have commented that one would get more out of the film should they speak German, I had no problem with the normally dreaded subtitles. Traudi Junge's expressions and inflections transcended any language barrier. When I first learned that these were memories she has never publicly, and rarely even privately, spoken of, I was doubtful. However, after watching and listening to her, and sensing the huge release from her that divulging the memories of that time gave her, and her spontaneity in recounting those memories, I was no longer doubtful. Her bottled up emotion is palpable. I must admit that I, like many, also have my doubts about all those who claimed to know next to nothing of the carnage that Hitler and his social order were inflicting. But Frau Junge so convincingly and eloquently reflects on that time when she was but a twenty two year old, naieve young girl, that you can almost see that young girl before you, though you are looking at a woman in her early eighties. She admits to guilt at her early admiration for Hitler, and also guilt and shock at her later findings of what had been going on in the world, outside of the insular and sheltered space of Hitler's bunker. There is much sadness in her recounting of the wars final days, when Hitler admitted to defeat, and surrender was imminent. She talks thoughtfully and hauntingly of the planned suicides of not only herself, but Hitler, Eva Braun, Goebbles and his family, which included his six children. Though she admits to a "black hole" in her memories of certain events, she somehow escaped after Hitler's suicide. She was held captive at various locations after the war, then released. Her story had been buried in guilt, and the desire to forget a shameful time, best not talked about. She finally agreed to be interviewed sixty years after those events. This is a fascinating and different look at that time, and at the man who is considered a monster, the personification of evil. She now estimates him as such also, though seems as perplexed as anyone would be in describing this same man who, in private, resembled more a kindly old gentleman. Frau Junge was a thoughtful, intelligent, lovely lady, who was haunted for years by her unwanted but undeniable association with him. This is an oddly touching film about a horrific subject. That she died the day after this film premiered in 2002 is also very touching. As told by another, some of her last words were "at last, I can begin to forgive myself..."
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Summary: An important film
Review: I would have given this film four stars (the quality suffers, not the content), but I feel Norm's review diminishes the importance of the film. If you are at once creative and analytical, you'll find a rich depth. In the film, Frau Junge doesn't excuse herself; in fact, I think she is too hard on herself. And though she doesn't put on a Hollywood penance performance, she does maintain her dignity, having been troubled for the better part of a life. Her brutal honesty can be seen in a poignant moment when she makes a comparison between herself and Sophie Scholl, who was the same age as Junge. Although the film appears to have been shot and edited by first year film students, the film is important in that it portrays a slice of history firsthand. Frau Junge is clearly intelligent and remarkably clear about her experience. It is simply amazing how much detail she remembers, and after so much time! It's also obvious that this experience colored and directed the remainder of her life. I wish the film was longer. I'm no history buff, but the Junge's recollections kept me glued to the set, pausing on the subtitles. The tragedy of Junge's life is that she separated herself from her feelings and repressed her experience, when she could have found some therapy by writing a detailed first-hand historical account. I think it would have come natural, her mind being wonderfully linear and her articulation of events easy to follow. It will bother some people that Frau Junge's personal portrayal of Hitler, while unsympathetic, often countermands the megalomaniacal historical portrayal. But the reality of this film is that it is not about Hitler--it's an intimate portrait about a woman named Traudl Junge who was fated to a time and to a place.
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