Hitler's SS attempts to show what life was like in Germany in the 30's and during the war, shown through the lives of one family. Two older brothers are just choosing their paths when the Nazi party starts to take hold. One brother, Karl, joins up right away and finds himself in the SA. He also doesn't like what he finds in the SA. The older one, Helmut, has no intention of following the crowd but ends up a favored officer in the SS, convinced that he can change things from the inside.
This movie shows the progression of Germany turning into a Nazi state by 'snapshots' of each year, from 1931 to 1945. In 1931 the brown shirts just hang out in bars and push people around. They're simply thugs. The Nazi party loses the election and almost everybody is happy about it. Then they win and elections are suspended making the Nazis the official state party forever. Now the Nazis have a firm grip and use force to hold onto power. Speak out against Hitler and Nazism and you are branded a traitor and you disappear to Dachau.
Then they orchestrate an incident to use as an excuse to invade Poland and it's war. And Helmut finds that he can't change anything while he is drawn further and further into the party and it's atrocities. Karl on the other hand ends up out of favor when the SA is disbanded but still ends up an officer on the eastern front. He is definitely not part of the madness and still does not like what he sees done by the Nazis. He resists being consumed by Nazism. Even little brother Hans, who is born in 1931, ends up being consumed and used up by the Nazi state.
The whole story is covered in this underrated movie. Not to be missed by any WWII movie buff, though there isn't really much combat.
7/10
This movie shows the progression of Germany turning into a Nazi state by 'snapshots' of each year, from 1931 to 1945. In 1931 the brown shirts just hang out in bars and push people around. They're simply thugs. The Nazi party loses the election and almost everybody is happy about it. Then they win and elections are suspended making the Nazis the official state party forever. Now the Nazis have a firm grip and use force to hold onto power. Speak out against Hitler and Nazism and you are branded a traitor and you disappear to Dachau.
Then they orchestrate an incident to use as an excuse to invade Poland and it's war. And Helmut finds that he can't change anything while he is drawn further and further into the party and it's atrocities. Karl on the other hand ends up out of favor when the SA is disbanded but still ends up an officer on the eastern front. He is definitely not part of the madness and still does not like what he sees done by the Nazis. He resists being consumed by Nazism. Even little brother Hans, who is born in 1931, ends up being consumed and used up by the Nazi state.
The whole story is covered in this underrated movie. Not to be missed by any WWII movie buff, though there isn't really much combat.
7/10