Robert Carlyle In Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003)
IMDbRobert Carlyle surprised audiences when he donned the armband in 2003.
The 2003 Hitler movie, Hitler: The Rise of Evil, is perhaps one of the most ambitious on this list.
For one thing, Robert Carlyle, who portrays the dictator, is best known for his success in comedies like The Full Monty. His departure in this role was, therefore, surprising to many.
Nevertheless, Carlyle does his best Führer impersonation in this 2003 mini-epic, which follows Hitler from childhood in Austria to his ascent as dictator.
The reviews for the show, however, were largely negative — especially in regard to Carlyle’s performance.
Entertainment Weekly lambasted Carlyle’s portrayal and drew comparisons between his serious version of the Führer and Charlie Chaplin’s satirical one.
IMDbThe mini-series Hitler: The Rise Of Evil debuted to poor reviews.
“This Rise of Evil, though, renders the grown tyrant a yammering bore who bullies a fearful populace to do his bidding. Charlie Chaplin presented a more convincing portrait of malevolent charm in The Great Dictator,” the review read.
Carlyle admitted the role was difficult for him as he’d never portrayed a historical figure. He added that the mini-series did not intend to sympathize with Hitler but rather to explore how his experiences brought him to becoming the most hated Austrian in history.
Critics nonetheless highlighted the show’s historical inaccuracies and its unwillingness to dig deeper into examining Nazi war crimes, choosing instead to focus on Germany’s evolution during Nazi rule.
Taika Waititi In Jojo Rabbit
IMDbTaika Waititi directed and starred in the satire film Jojo Rabbit.
Another comedic portrayal of the Nazi leader can be found in Taika Waititi’s recent Jojo Rabbit.
The movie centers around a naive German boy training to become a Hitler Youth member, alongside his imaginary version of the dictator.
As Canadian news outlet the National Post put it: He’s Hitler, but he’s not.
Waititi’s portrayal of the dictator is especially uncanny considering the actor-director is, in reality, a Polynesian Jew from New Zealand. Waititi’s performance is entirely comedic and the director admitted he refused to do any research on the dictator as a matter of principle.
“I had no interest at all in portraying him authentically,” Waititi said. “I didn’t want him to have the satisfaction of knowing that someone studied him…I don’t think he deserves someone making that much effort.”
But as is the case with any film that tries to use comedy to touch on the subject of Nazis, Jojo Rabbit received plenty of pushback.
Waititi’s Hitler is no doubt one of the more polarizing portrayals to date. Fans of the film argue that it successfully balances the notion of satire without excusing Nazi cruelty, while the worst of its critics have hailed it as “a feature-length version of Springtime for Hitler.”
Nevertheless, the movie earned a People’s Choice Award at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
Portraying one of the most notorious villains in history is certainly difficult, both for the writers of and actors in a production, and all these Hitler movies portrayed the dictator differently. Which do you think were most effective?
Now that you’ve explored how these Hitler movies tackled the Führer, read about how the living descendants of Hitler are trying to end his bloodline. Then, take a look at these 44 photos inside the initiations of Hitler Youth.
