I viewed this movie a day after watching "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days." Both films are about young women caught up in a political movement that had swept war time Germany.
The complete simplicity of this film is remarkable. None of the tricks generally employed by documentary film makers are used. You never hear the questions of the interviewer; there are no cutaways designed to give the illusion of continuity. Every natural break point is clearly indicated with a simple dissolve to black. This unusual technique is what gives this film its authenticity. The subject matter is too important for "art" to interfere. There is no need for extraneous cover footage, or clever illusions. This is an historic document that will survive the test of time. There is no attempt to cover the fact that the film is made up from several interview sessions. There is no attempt to mask the subject's occasional forgetfulness or back-tracking. Traudl Junge's remarkable narrative taught me more about the psychology of Adolf Hitler than the dozen books and scores of movies I have read or seen on this subject over the past 50 years.
This is a stunning work - all the more brilliant for its honesty and adherence to journalistic integrity. One never gets the feeling that you are being pushed toward a particular point of view. Here is a woman who worked closely alongside a tyrant and - much to her later shame - admits to liking the man. We too are left to wonder how we might have responded if placed in a similar position. Traudl Junge does not attempt to white wash her own failure to perceive who and what Hitler really was. She recognizes her weakness and freely admits it.
The complete simplicity of this film is remarkable. None of the tricks generally employed by documentary film makers are used. You never hear the questions of the interviewer; there are no cutaways designed to give the illusion of continuity. Every natural break point is clearly indicated with a simple dissolve to black. This unusual technique is what gives this film its authenticity. The subject matter is too important for "art" to interfere. There is no need for extraneous cover footage, or clever illusions. This is an historic document that will survive the test of time. There is no attempt to cover the fact that the film is made up from several interview sessions. There is no attempt to mask the subject's occasional forgetfulness or back-tracking. Traudl Junge's remarkable narrative taught me more about the psychology of Adolf Hitler than the dozen books and scores of movies I have read or seen on this subject over the past 50 years.
This is a stunning work - all the more brilliant for its honesty and adherence to journalistic integrity. One never gets the feeling that you are being pushed toward a particular point of view. Here is a woman who worked closely alongside a tyrant and - much to her later shame - admits to liking the man. We too are left to wonder how we might have responded if placed in a similar position. Traudl Junge does not attempt to white wash her own failure to perceive who and what Hitler really was. She recognizes her weakness and freely admits it.