Name: Hitler's Reign of Terror
Genre: Documentary
Released: 1934-04-30
Duration: 55 min
Rating: 6.1
Cast: Edwin C. Hill, Samuel Dickstein, Adolf Hitler

A Worthwhile Movie Obscured By Its Details

The version of the movie I saw was a reissue from the Royal Belgian Archives. Newsreel footage indicates it was updated during the "Phony War" phase of the Second World War -- the French in the Maginot Line are facing the Germans in the Siegfried Line.

The heart of this movie concerns Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr. -- the great-grandson of the Robber Baron and the son of the man who gave up his seat on a lifeboat on the Titanic and was last seen calmly smoking a cigar -- and the footage he shot on a trip to Germany and Austria soon after Hitler had come to power. That footage is fascinating. It is also in poor shape. It looks like it was preserved on 16 mm. and then restored to 35 mm., with attendant blurring. It would be worth some one's time and effort to run this footage through a computer to restore it. There is also a sequence shot at Dorn with the Kaiser and the Crown Prince's son. As someone interested in history, I find it fascinating.

Unfortunately, much of the film consists of people speaking to microphones, especially Mr. Vanderbilt, who is not an engaging speaker. The overall effect is barely tolerable.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

A documentary meant to show Americans what had been going on in Germany since Hitler's rise, centered on a fact finding trip by Cornelius Vanderbilt, with newsreel footage of book burnings and such.

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Hitler's Reign of Terror

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