Wednesday, January 30, 2008

(Un)Happy 75th Anniversary Nazi Germany!

Today marks the anniversary of the rise of Adolph Hitler to the post of German Chancellor. The NYT takes a revealing look at the turmoil of a country grappling to form a positive national identity, and struggling with the politics of remembrance and redemption in modern Berlin.

To "celebrate" this day, view the end of Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film "The Great Dictator", a political satire about Hitler with a "Prince and the Pauper" theme. Chaplin plays the Hitler character and his twin, brazenly mocking the evils of fascism, and concluding with a universal cry for change. The end speech is one of the most powerful clarion calls for peace and humanity ever captured on film, and marked Chaplin's first "talkie":


2 comments:

gjg said...

My friend Aaron celebrated the anniversary by sending me this intriguing video.

amityb said...

Hmmm. Intriguing indeed. I had no idea Hitler had mad rhyming skills homes.