Apocalypse – The Rise of Hitler (2011)

Directed by: Isabelle Clarke, Daniel Costelle | 113 minutes | biography, documentary, history

It is difficult to say the least to come up with something innovative when it comes to Adolf Hitler. After all, what else is there to say about the greatest mass murderer to ever walk the earth? In virtually all forms, be it a book, a documentary or a film, people have tried to give insight into the gruesome past of this former German leader. At first glance, ‘Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler’ seems to be yet another documentary about Hitler’s life, but it is indeed an interesting production that is certainly worth watching.

What makes this two-part documentary, consisting of the parts ‘The Menace’ and ‘The Führer’, interesting is that the makers actually pay no attention to the Second World War itself. Instead, it focuses on everything that preceded this, especially how Adolf Hitler came to power and why he went from a mediocre student and failed artist into the terrible dictator he eventually became. The documentary makers, Isabelle Clarke and Daniel Costelle, who were previously responsible for the documentary ‘World War II: Apocalypse’, therefore pay particular attention to the period between 1920 and 1933, the latter year being the year in which Hitler finally came to power. .

‘Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler’ covers all the major events of this period of Hitler’s life, from his unsuccessful attempt to be admitted to art school in Vienna, his imprisonment between 1923 and 1924 after a failed coup d’état, to the moment and then especially the way he eventually seized power in Germany. By means of polished image and sound fragments from the time, the documentary takes you through the life of Adolf Hitler. It is the sound fragments of his many famous/infamous speeches, in which the enormously fierce, frightening voice can still be heard, that make the most impression and best illustrate the persuasiveness of Hitler emphasized by the documentary.

All in all, ‘Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler’ has become a successful documentary. It gives an interesting look at the years that preceded the complete domination of the Nazis and also all other well-known figures of the time such as Eva Braun, Hermann Göring and Joseph Goebbels are discussed. In addition, the documentary shows how extremely cunning and underhanded the Nazis worked under Hitler’s leadership to eventually come to power. It turns out that there was an above-average dose of luck and coincidence involved. It was close at a number of moments but damn close that history would have looked very different. Maybe the final result isn’t in-depth enough and doesn’t come up with enough new perspectives and information to please everyone, but ‘Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler’ is certainly one of the more interesting insights into the life of this fearsome leader. become.