It seems that a bunch of film of Hitler on the homefront, mostly shot by Hitler’s squeeze Eva Braun, and stored at the Pentagon for decades, will open the Biberach Film Festival in Munich. The film had a short life when it was released in the 1980’s even being banned in Germany where they are always on guard against of a resurgence of Nazism. It is likely to do much better in these revisionist and politically correct times when anything goes. Apparently we get to see the warmer side of the man who attempted to execute all Jews and Gypsies in Europe – the man who approved the making lamps out of the skin of murdered Jews – the man who was responsible for the murder of 6 million Jews, the deaths of over 20,000,000 Russians, and countless Gypsies, Slavs, and Homosexuals – the man who was responsible for WWII.
Is it right that home movies of this monster are viewed and treated as a period piece? No – absolutely not. By showing that Hitler could smile and laugh and play with babies we run the risk of making people think that maybe what he did was sort of okay, not so so bad, just a function of the times. Well I say NO! You don’t get to show films of monsters behaving nicely – there are young and impressionable people out there who will surely draw the wrong conclusions from seeing "Swastika." The world needs to remember what happened just 70 years ago and remain vigilant that it never happens again. Ban the film.
What happened to our right to free speach? The author says “ban the movie,” but I think that would be illegal, and a mistake. This movie may not be appropriate for immature audiences, that I agree. What is Swastika rated here in the US? Can it be restricted so that younger viewers on their own can’t get a hold of it, even though it may contain no offensive language, sex or violence, just by the fact that it portrays one of the world’s most infamous murderers? I don’t think that’s the case, but I would support such a restriction – not an all out ban. How is watching Hitler’s warm and fuzzy side any worse than desensitizating our selves from watching movies like Saving Private Ryan? I think the appeal of a movie like Swastika is that we ask the confounding question, “how could such a thing have happened?” Nothing seems to ultimately explain it, so we turn to the monster’s inner world. What is revealed is a world of dillusion and contridiction – a fantasy that could not stand in the face of reality. Learning this, the responsible viewer has gained value.