Inside the Third Reich
by Marvin J. Chomsky
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Product details
Actor: Blythe Danner, John Gielgud, Maria Schell, Rutger Hauer, Trevor HowardDirector: Marvin J. Chomsky
Brand: ABC Video
Edition: VHS Tape
Format: Color, EP, NTSC
Running Time: 250 minutes
Release Date: 1993-09-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 1131
Publisher: Starmaker Entertainment
Studio: Starmaker Entertainment
VHS Movie Reviews of Inside the Third Reich
Movie Review: Outstanding Miniseries
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is one of my favorites. It runs 4 hours so you have to have time available to view it all. The show starts out showing some of the horrors of the holocaust and some of the death and destruction caused by World War II. Let the squeamish beware.
No question, this miniseries comes from the early-1980's and is limited by special effects and budget available at the time. By comparison, "Hitler: The Rise of Evil," from 2003, is as good if not better. Still, if one pays attention to the main story and the performances given by the many featured actors, "Inside the Third Reich" is worth anyone's time.
The cast is a star-studded one. Rutger Hauer plays Albert Speer and John Gielgud plays his father. Derek Jacobi is Adolph Hitler and Blythe Danner plays Speer's wife, Marguerite. Among other notable actors are Randy Quaid, Robert Vaughn, Maria Schell, Viveca Lindfors, Stephen Collins, Ian Holm, and Elke Sommer. There are others, too. In a TV miniseries, we'll probably never see their like again.
There are several memorable scenes in this show, but the one that strikes me most occurs about 25 minutes from the start. It's where Hitler addresses a university audience in Germany during the early-1930's. Included in the audience is the story's hero, Albert Speer. (Speer would later become Hitler's architect and chief armaments minister). Hitler tells of pawnbrokers taking money from elderly Germans, "so they can eat one more day." He brings the house down several times with his remarks: "Yes, I do over-use that word [unshakeable]. No more pawnbrokers! I need your help!" Even the skeptical Speer is seen rising with the crowd as if captured by an invisible force.
For me, the performance of Derek Jacobi is absolutely riveting. You wonder what scenes he may have been in that were edited out due to length of the show; also, if they'd be added back in should a DVD ever be produced. Those scenes would be worth the price of the disk, in my book.
Another memorable scene occurs earlier in the show where Albert Speer is a child and John Gielgud is his noble father. Albert is shown sleeping on the hard floor of his bedroom rather than in his bed. The father wonders about this and then discovers that Albert is doing this because he wants to share the hardships of troops returning from battle during World War-I. Quite touching.
Yet another scene is where Hitler inspects the new Chancellory building, designed by his protege, Speer. At the end of an impressive tour of the place, Hitler turns to Speer with tears in his eyes and says, "Well done."
A disturbing scene occurs in the 2nd half of the movie where Speer goes on a field trip to a slave labor camp. He's upset at the low production level and finds that the laborers, mainly Russian POW's, are on starvation rations. One of the laborers is asked questions and then speaks up to Speer. After Speer departs, the Russian is slugged by guards and probably dies.
Toward the end, Speer visits Hitler and confesses he hasn't carried out the Fuhrer's order on scorched earth. Instead of ordering Speer to be punished, as you'd expect, Hitler says they'll "talk about it later." Speer escapes and lives to tell the tale.
Finally, when Speer is told of Hitler's death he breaks down and cries. Very odd, but effective.
Of all the stars and production value, I think Derek Jacobi, as Hitler, stands out most for me. His performance explains a lot about how a man like Hitler could do what he did. Yes, there are the ranting and raving scenes, like at the airport where Hitler is barnstorming Germany trying to get elected. But he had strange, instinctive qualities and was able to entice and persuade. You wonder what unnatural powers may have sustained and encouraged him, the embodiment of true evil.
With all the productions that are coming out on DVD, this one deserves special treatment. It's a 5-star production and everyone concerned about rising fascism today, should see it.
Movie Review: Inside the third reich - Great movie to experiment
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the type of movie I love. I recently bought the whole collection of Winds of War and War and Remembrance and this movie fits right in this line of drama. What's special in this movie for me is I saw it on TV years ago. I just completed my engineering degree at University and this moview woke me up. I could understand where Speer offered his technical knowledges for the 3rd reich. Conflicting for an intellectual but probably brought him a lot of satisfaction in terms of achievement and exceptional designs. Everytime I see a movie with the Nazi banners, I think about Speer who brought that to the NSDAP. It's just amazing to see him when they walk in the new chancellerie. The music, the scenes and Speer's fase expressions, are just touching deeply any technical designer. I recommend this movie for anyone that is ready to put himself (herself) into the character and accept what he's doing in the movie. Yes, he was part of the nazi movement, but we are talking about exceptional design productions. It's sad to see pictures at the end that shows the buildings destroyed. These were built to last 1000 years. Imagine which building today will last 1000 years!!!Movie Review: Best of its genre
Summary: 3 Stars
I watched all the WWII and nazi-related movies and miniseries from the 1980s and I must say this one has stuck with me ever since. Derek Jakobi's performance of Hitler is spellbinding. The scene of him practicing his gestures before a mirror is compelling. Hauer gives a competant though understated performance as Speer. But I must tell you if you watch this movies for no other reason it is the lengthy scene, without dialogue, of Hitler walking through the rooms of the new reich chancellory. The haunting soundtrack music and Jakobi's eyes as he takes in Speer's handiwork are memorable and at the end of the scene, with tears he looks at Speer and say "Well done." When I watch that scene, ever 20 years later, it still gives me goosebumps. This two-part movie is definitely a cut above others from the era. Well worth it to watch.Movie Review: Nazi purists may disagree, but...
Summary: 4 Stars
...this TV movie isn't as bad as some reviewers claim. At moments it gets quite interesting and it features a once-in-a-lifetime-never-to-be-seen-again cast that includes John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, Ian Holm, Elke Sommer, Blythe Danner, Robert Vaughn, Rugter Hauer (Albert Speer) and the great Derek Jacobi as Hitler.Tends to be somehow an apology for Speer (couldn't be otherwise, it's based on his memoirs) and, true, it fails to inspire much emotion (except for the rage of a few reviewers, it seems). It's also rather long (a miniseries, actually) and may not be as accurate as some would like it to be. Personally ...who cares? If you're that obsessed with facts and dates read the book instead!
So, not a life-changing movie experience for sure (I hope), but interesting if you're into WWII within reason.
Movie Review: Good, and reasonably faithful to the book.
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie is fairly faithful to "Inside the Third Reich" authored by Albert Speer while in prison. While it has gotten a barrage of criticism here on Amazon, I liked it. Rutger Hauer puts in a fine performance as Speer. The actors who play Hitler and the other major characters also do good jobs. This movie does a creditable job explaining who Speer was, and what he did, at least according to Speer as based upon his book.This is very watchable historical drama. I hope it is soon available on DVD.
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