"Er is wieder da" (English: "Look Who's Back" or "He is Back Again") is a popular 2015 German political comedy film about what would happen if Adolf Hitler were to come alive again in modern day Germany. This is a very popular film in Germany, even being up for selection for a Best Foreign Film nomination at our Academy Awards. But this was one of Germany's first ever comedic portrayals of Adolf Hitler, and it did not come without criticism.
Watch the trailer here, and note your feelings while watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q_oh9wrJv0
Did you find this scene funny? Did it feel strange, seeing such a serious portrayal of Hitler in a comedic form? (Don't feel guilty if you do - I found it hilarious the first time around.)
The film begins as purely a comedy - making light of Hitler in situations he is not familiar with. However, as the film continues, things gradually take a turn for worse. Real, non-actor Germans are interviewed and asked questions about whether they would support this "fake" Hitler, some of them agreeing with his actions, others laughing off his actions because he isn't "real."
This continues until a scene around the midpoint of the film, where there is a particularly troubling scene occurs when Hitler is seen interacting with a small, playful dog. (NOTE/Trigger warning: This scene doesn't include gore, but it can easily be disturbing. Though it is, of course, fake, Hitler's character is seen "shooting" a dog and there is a gun shown and a gunshot heard. Many people find this moment comedic, and it is portrayed as such, but if you're sensitive or simply do not like violence like this, please be warned or do not watch.)
From this point on, the comedy takes a dark turn, up until the climax at the end, which makes a political statement: history can very easily repeat itself. I would highly, highly recommend this film (watch if you're bored during the quarantine!), though it is quite heavy at the end (thought-provoking), but I believe it is very relevant to our world today.
For the second half of my blog post, I want to try something different. Think about what would happen if something like this was made in the United States, and this was a big production. Possibly an actor you know of is in the lead role, and there is decent publicity about this movie. But this movie is about what would happen in Cristopher Columbus came back to life in the modern-day United States and began turning people against Native Americans and possibly even other minorities, as well. This film is viewed as a comedy, and though there is a good amount of political commentary throughout the film, there is a distinct comedic tone and there are interviews included from real people who are speaking publicly about their possibly racist views. What do you think the reception would be like? Would it cause protests? Or would people push it under the rug, dismissing it as art, or simply a dark comedy piece?
In addition to comments about this scenario, how did you feel watching the trailer scene from "Er is wieder da?" Did you find this comedic? How do you think this film was received in Germany? If you viewed it, what about the dog scene? Did you find this scene comedic in comparison, or did something feel wrong to you about it? Why?
Lastly, do you think this film would be received differently without the political twist to it?
Okay, the trailer for the film was pretty funny and I’m really surprised there hasn’t been upfront news about people either supporting or insulting its existence. Also I really like the prompt you brought into your second half of the blog! I think that if a film was created about Cristopher Columbus’ journey would defiantly get mixed reactions. From a young age American kids are given Columbus with a shower of gold stars and the image of a hero, not the man that was racist/rude to the Natives and drove them out of their land. Some people still don’t see him that way. I have a feeling the film would still create protest but not large enough for a worldwide Twitter hashtag to trend about it. Most people would probably talk about if it was funny or not and the move on from the movie as if nothing was really brought to their attention. I feel like the Hitler film was likely received the same way in Germany, a movie that made fun of one of the world’s “most famous villains” that all Germans have heard the jokes about before. Let’s not forget, Germany had to put in a lot of work after Hitler and their World War actions, and they have been crucified by the world more than once for it. I believe that the political ending may have had an impact in how the movie was received, however the ending would spark a conversation regardless of it was political or not.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though this movie is trying to do a similar thing to Max by humanizing Hitler so that people can be reminded he was real and a person and therefore can happen again with another person. I cannot say I have watched this movie, but from the trailer and your blog, that's what I gather. I think it is interesting that they bring Hitler to the present and show that he could start amusing and turn dark, just as many probably saw Hitler initially; harmless yet strong speech giver then incredibly powerful leader actually having millions of people murdered. The people who said they would follow the present day Hitler also show that even though many of us know our history, we could still be doomed to repeat it and deny how harmful a person is even as they take over the country. I really find it interesting how you mention this happening with Christopher Columbus. I don't know how power hungry for leadership he was, but I'm sure he could easily persuade people to follow his ideas in the present day as well. Hopefully we do not see history like theirs repeated so strongly, but this movie seems to suggests we should not think it impossible.
ReplyDeleteI honestly didn't find it funny. I think they were trying to make fun of Hitler, which is pretty common and overdone in America. I could see how this could be radical in Germany, where the Holocaust and Hitler are still very taboo topics. It must have been radical to see that there was a comedy about to be released about him and hopefully it opened a new dialogue in Germany, even if the movie itself doesn't seem to be too high quality in my opinion.
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