LOOK WHO”S BACK (Original German title: ER
IST WIEDER DA) 3.3***
Making
fun of Hitler has had a long tradition, dating back to when Hitler was alive,
and one of the greatest comedies of all time, Charlie Chaplin's “The Great
Dictator”. As with “The Great Dictator”, “Look Who’s Back” manages to having a
serious undertone beneath all the slapstick and humor. It, therefore, meets the
prime criterion for a supreme comedy: one that is very funny to watch but
simultaneously deadly serious in its message to the point of being unnerving.
At the beginning of "Look Who's Back" we see
Hitler suddenly appear from a strange cloud in the exact spot where his burned
body was discovered outside his underground bunker, this being seventy years
after his 1945 death/suicide. A bold idea backed up by a smart and
funny script. The resulting package is thought provoking, shocking
and, at times, hilarious.
Initially seen as a laughable street performer, a foggy Herr Hitler walks Berlin's streets searching for the Führerbunker and wonders what happened to the thousand year Reich. He takes selfies with bemused tourists.
Hitler falls in with a hapless TV journalist who becomes his traveling companion on a cross-Germany trip to learn what's bugging people, and what they desire. They honestly tell him - believing he's an actor and not the real thing - about wages and education. Mostly, the people are vocal with strong hate for immigrants. Here, Muslims fill in for Jews who are barely mentioned.
Hitler discovers TV and wonders why this technological marvel broadcasts mostly cooking shows. He quickly becomes computer-literate. In this regard, there is a very funny scene of Hitler and his secretary setting up his email account, but discovering that all of Hitler's preferred user names (including his own name) have already been taken and they have to settle for his name with numbers added. Oliver Masucci ( as Hitler ) gives an excellent performance in the title role – understated in the proper moments, funny but nuanced.
Young adults latch onto him believing he's the joke du jour. Before you know it, Hitler's pronouncements have millions of social media hits.
He becomes a regular on a very popular TV show where his nationalistic speeches (more passionate and even tempered versus the wild-eyed rants of yore) strike a chord. Those in our contemporary society will find grains of truth in what this monster says.
This multifaceted film tackles a number of important issues: the permanence of racism, the danger of projecting darkness onto a manipulative figurehead (eerie in the Trump era), life in a dumbed-down world, lack of personal responsibility, and much more. It's also a history lesson presenting just how Hitler rose in the Thirties.
Initially seen as a laughable street performer, a foggy Herr Hitler walks Berlin's streets searching for the Führerbunker and wonders what happened to the thousand year Reich. He takes selfies with bemused tourists.
Hitler falls in with a hapless TV journalist who becomes his traveling companion on a cross-Germany trip to learn what's bugging people, and what they desire. They honestly tell him - believing he's an actor and not the real thing - about wages and education. Mostly, the people are vocal with strong hate for immigrants. Here, Muslims fill in for Jews who are barely mentioned.
Hitler discovers TV and wonders why this technological marvel broadcasts mostly cooking shows. He quickly becomes computer-literate. In this regard, there is a very funny scene of Hitler and his secretary setting up his email account, but discovering that all of Hitler's preferred user names (including his own name) have already been taken and they have to settle for his name with numbers added. Oliver Masucci ( as Hitler ) gives an excellent performance in the title role – understated in the proper moments, funny but nuanced.
Young adults latch onto him believing he's the joke du jour. Before you know it, Hitler's pronouncements have millions of social media hits.
He becomes a regular on a very popular TV show where his nationalistic speeches (more passionate and even tempered versus the wild-eyed rants of yore) strike a chord. Those in our contemporary society will find grains of truth in what this monster says.
This multifaceted film tackles a number of important issues: the permanence of racism, the danger of projecting darkness onto a manipulative figurehead (eerie in the Trump era), life in a dumbed-down world, lack of personal responsibility, and much more. It's also a history lesson presenting just how Hitler rose in the Thirties.
THIS is A GERMAN made FILM in GERMAN…so you have to read
subtitles. BUT what a fascinating film with a very thought provoking story
line.
You’ll have to search for it… I found it at NETFLIX.
Clark
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