Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil

Rating:
Summary: Indescribeable
Review: A very strong story about family values being overlooked by war. Helmut and Karl Hoffman are coming mature right at the point of Adolf Hitlers rule begins. One joining the SS, and the other joins the SA. After grueling confrontments, both the third reich, and the familial connection will crumble and fall.

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Summary: A Historian with an Opinion...
Review: I have viewed this title a few times. I think this is an excellent movie. Many movies from the World War II era commonly tell a small portion about the people's lives in NAZI Germany during the Third Reich. This movie collected all the bits and pieces and showed how different people from the start had their lives affected throughout this time. This is an excellent movie and I wish it received more publicity to exploit what it does best... inform people about life in the Third Reich. It also shows the innocence of the German people and how they were brainwashed and tricked by the NAZIS. Clearly documenting the civilians at this time.

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Summary: Interesting look at the SS' rold in Nazi Germany.
Review: It's an interesting persprctive, looking at the SS from the points of view of two brothers: one in the SS, and one who ran afoul of the SS. The actors playing Heydrich and Himmler did their roles excellently, and the depiction of SS reaction to certain events (Night of the Long Knives, Krystalnacht, and the July 20 Bomb plot) was also well done. The only thing obviusly inaccurate was the assasaination of Heydrich (he was assasinated in Prague, not in the countryside outside the city).

Rating:
Summary: Interesting look at the SS' rold in Nazi Germany.
Review: It's an interesting persprctive, looking at the SS from the points of view of two brothers: one in the SS, and one who ran afoul of the SS. The actors playing Heydrich and Himmler did their roles excellently, and the depiction of SS reaction to certain events (Night of the Long Knives, Krystalnacht, and the July 20 Bomb plot) was also well done. The only thing obviusly inaccurate was the assasaination of Heydrich (he was assasinated in Prague, not in the countryside outside the city).

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Summary: Did you see that movie - Maybe you can help me!
Review: P>...The movie is great because of the intensity of the determination the SS organization had back in the 30's. The actors are great and the music is unique. What is sad about the end of that movie is the same pitfall as other movies. Too much emphasis on concentration camps. In good objectivity, anyone that talks about concentration camps should also learn about the causes of the creation of the SA and the SS. The Germany of 1880 until 1933. This is the period to learn and read about. Stay objective and be a good judge. Like in the movie:"Who needs a revolution, when the revolution already been achieved?"

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Summary: Not the Complete Movie!!
Review: The DVD I just purchased is an outrage. It cuts off most of the movie! The history of the brothers, as displayed on the box, is never shown. The movie starts at the invasion of Poland. If you want the history of the brothers, be careful before you purchase.

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Summary: Half the movie was missing!
Review: The movie is great....unless you get a DVD that cuts away the first 80 minutes of it! This DVD started at the scene just before the invasion of Poland, so needless to say...I feel a little short-changed.

Rating:
Summary: CHSimon
Review: This fictional dramatization of the life of a typical middle class German family and the effects of the third reich and Adolf Hitlers 12 year reign of terror, does an excellent job in humanizing what must have been a horrile dilhemma for German people in the 30s and 40s. David Warner is terrific as the heartless Reinhardt Heydrich whose influence on the oldest son in the family changed the boy from skeptic and cynic into fulfledged believer. Tony Randall is also excellent as a "Joel Grey" type emcee at the local Night Club who dares to criticise the NAZIS and pays the ultimate price for his performances. All in all the performances are believable if you can get past some of the heavy British accents which are mixed in with bland American accents like that of Carrol Baker who plays the mom. The sharp contrast in accents is kind of distracting.

Rating:
Summary: A look inside a German family during the Third Reich
Review: This film focuses on a German family during the Third Reich, particularly on two brothers. One joins the security service of the SS and the other joins the SA and later the Wehrmacht. Their father works for the German Reichsbahn (state railroad) and their younger brother joins the Hitler Youth. The movie follows the years 1933-1945 and focuses on major events of the period. I thought more of the events of the Holocaust and the effects of Heydrich's assassination should have been included, i.e. the destruction of Lidice. After all one of them worked with Heydrich. I was also surprised that the one brother in the Wehrmacht didn't actively participate in the plot against Hitler in 1944. I also see a huge similarity to the miniseries, "Holocaust." One brother joins the SD and works for Heydrich just like Dorf did in Holocaust. David Warner even plays Heydrich in this too. Overall, I really liked this movie, but wished it was in the full original miniseries length that it originally aired in in 1985. Several scenes are noticeably shortened or not here at all. It is a good film for people who know relatively little about this period of History. It is fairly accurate and entertaining at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting perspective on a familiar topic
Review: This movie views the rise of the Nazi regime from the perspective of two brothers, who are very ordinary people. At first each brother views the Nazis as just another political party. One brother becomes a full-time SS officer working for Heydrich, the other (who actually became a Nazi before his brother did) sees the evil of the Nazis sooner, and suffers for his outspokeness. The strength of the movie is its portrayal of ordinary Germans during this time period, and how they become caught up in the ugliness of the Nazi regime.
The acting is so-so, but not bad if your expectations are not high. Jose Ferrer plays only a modest role in this movie--he is not the star. Overall an entertaining movie that is worth a try. The quality of the DVD video is slightly below average.