KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Michael O'Keefe Jim Goddard directs this made-for-TV war drama about Hitler's regime, concentrating on the relationship of two brothers from Berlin. Helmut(Bill Nighy)is an ambitious, intelligent young man and a self-styled opportunist joining Hitler's SS in 1931. Younger brother Karl(John Shea)is a fine athlete and idealist with opposite political views than his brother; he more or less is forced into service as a chauffeur in the Reich's Storm Troopers. The story line moves from the rise of Nazism to the fall of Hitler's heavy-handed Third Reich. During the course of the brother's war involvement both fall in love with a beautiful chanteuse(Lucy Gutteridge). The brothers will anguish their misdeeds when realizing their parents are killed in an air raid and at that their 13 year old brother has himself ran away to join in the collapsing war effort.Also featured in the cast: Jose Ferrer, David Warner, Carroll Baker, Warren Clarke, John Dicks, Paul Brooke, Michael Elphick, John Normington, Tony Randall and Colin Jeavons as Hitler.

Graham Watson This is a nice taut docu/drama about a fictional family the Hoffman's which chronicles life in Nazi Germany from the early 1930's up until 1945. When it was originally aired back in 1985 it was a two part TV mini series which has now been put together in a movie format. I said a fictional family, but in essence it could have been any family from Germany at that time. This British production is not as long or as well done as the better know American ones such as THE WINDS OF WAR (1983), or the NIGHTMARE YEARS (1989). Never the less don't let that put you off, it's still very entertaining and makes up for any production shortcomings with character chemistry and some great dialog. Also, events are put on the fast track here because from an historical point of view it doesn't dwell too much on any one aspect of the SS activities or the war as a whole, so film move's quickly.Karl Hoffman (John Shea) is the first in the family to be drawn to the Nazi doctrine and as a disgruntled worker joins the brown shirts or SA who are Hitler's storm troopers for the early part of his rule. Helmut Hoffman (Bill Nighy) who is more of an intellectual is less impressed by the excesses of the SA and initially wants to have no part the Nazi movement. However, but because of his blonde hair and blue eyes is eventually recruited to the more elitist and seemingly less boorish SS under Heinrich Himmler and his ruthless enforcer Reinhard Hydric (David Warner). So Helmut leaves his studies and moves up the ranks as Hydric's assistant and soon becomes immersed in some of the most critical decisions of that period.After the "night of the long knives" things take a turn for the worse for Karl. With the disbanding of the SA as well as the liquidation of it's top leaders he soon finds himself surplice to requirement and consequently is on the receiving end of some rough treatment as well as a taste of Nazi prison life in the notorious Dachau. Fortunately, Helmut using his position in the SS is able to spring his brother out of Dachau but after being so enthusiastic about Hitler from that moment onwards Karl is bitter, disillusioned and troubled by what he has experienced. Despite given promotion in the German army which by this time he was forced to join he is still unsettled and as things go from bad to worse in on the eastern front he deserts his unit and heads for home. In the mean time and despite not having the enthusiasm nor the stomach for, lets say the more unsavory aspects of life in the SS Helmut knuckles down. He strikes up a friendship with another assistant called Becker (brilliantly played by Warren Clarke) and soon realizes that once you have joined you can't just resign! Their parents also opt for the quiet life, the mother brings up the youngest brother Hans and the father works on the railways that seemingly always run on time. There is a poignant scene when he comes across a cattle truck crammed full of people and who are obviously in distress, but when he inquires about them his supervisor snaps " oh just some Dutch Jews, don't worry there in no hurry where there going". This is obviously a reference to the efforts made by some that the German people knew nothing of the cruelty and atrocities under the third Reich! As the war comes closer to home Karl returns to find his family and discovers that the house has been flattened and their parents killed an air raid. The youngest brother Hans now old enough to join the "Hitler youth" becomes a member of the "Volkstrum" a rag tag outfit of boys and old men that have the thankless task trying to stop the red army from over running Germany. Hans having been brainwashed for years can't be reasoned and decides to stay put and fight for the "vatherland",despite the best efforts from his brothers to convince him otherwise.In the final scenes as the Russians are closing in Helmut realizing that as a member of the SS he will be the victim of harsh retribution tries to abscond from active duty and tip toe away in civilian clothes. However he is recognized and executed by his own side for not fighting to the end. Finally when it's all over after the final battle Karl is comforted by a family friend Mitzi when they discover the body of his youngest brother Hans in the rubble. All in all an ironic ending to the movie because in the opening scene both Karl and Helmut are seen running to the church way back in 1931 for the christening of their younger brother Hans. In the end in the ashes and ruins of Germany this 12-13 year old boy who knew nothing but Hitler was just one of many millions killed, is surly testimony to the madness of the so called 1000 year Reich. There are some good performances, it's mostly a British cast but it is supported by Americans Jose Ferrer, John Shea and Tony Randal and is defiantly worth a watch. I'd highly recommend this particularly if who are interested in WWII history!

DirtyGrainius Somewhat like a watered-down version of Tae Guk Gi. Good for a TV movie, but you can tell it was a TV movie. Bill Nighy puts in a good performance here and seems almost a perfect example of the stereotypical Nazi officer. Jose Ferrer has a minimal but important role as one of the reflections of morality and decisions made around or in spite of it. Dignified as usual. John Sheas Karl seems almost Jewish in this and I don't know if that done purposefully to reflect against Helmut's uber-aryanism. Shea just reminds me of a young Ben Cross in this. The story line and pace can be a little choppy or uneven, and it could have used a bit more character development, but it wasn't hard to sit through. Except the Tony Randall scenes. Putzi made me a little queasy, and his humor was..umm.. well let's just say his timing was different. Decent Product overall.

4horsemen-2 Must be one of the most underrated British movies for decades.It charts the rise to power of the SS from 1931 up to its downfall in Berlin in 1945.The only historically wrong scene of any consequence was the assassination of Heydrich.It shows him to be attacked in the country on the way in to Prague,when in fact the killing took place in the centre of Prague,more or less.Other than that it is well documented and absorbing to watch.John Shea, Michael Elphick were both excellent in the roles they played.I recommend anyone with a passing interest in the SS or the last war to certainly watch this movie.It was a pleasure to see a war movie that did not depict the Americans winning it and showed the German side all the way through,with only a fleeting glimpse of two allied soldiers.I would say it was 70% political war and 30% wartime relationships.Super stuff.