Military Historian Reviews Infamous Dictators in Movies

[@mandalorion]

Bruno Ganz really should have won an Oscar for that performance.

[@ccptube3468]

He is Beyond that and don't need those worthless awards. Oscars are for P3d03s and Pretentious clowns.

[@mandalorion]

@@matztertaler2777 have you seen the film? He doesn't speak like that all the time.

[@DesertRat2001]

@@matztertaler2777 Your response is pretty clear you haven't seen the movie. One of the biggest reasons for people falling for Hitler is how he interacts with his staff, including Traudl Junge. It demonstrates the charisma he showed. Quite frightening, actually.

[@hoilst265]

@@DesertRat2001 I'll bet you a dollar he's a typical wehraboo, and only knows Downfall from the memes. Doubt he's watched the film. ...I saw it in the cinema with a cute redhead girl which was...not the best idea for a date.

[@AleCharlie]

​@@hoilst265what happened with the girl

[@cromulentwords]

When I was in 8th grade, our history teacher had us listen to a recording of Hitler giving a speech. No visuals; just audio. None of us spoke fluent German, but our teacher told us to pay attention to the inflection of Hitler's voice, and gave us a rough outline of what was being said. The most frightening parts were when his voice got softer, which was when he was attempting to connect with the crowd on a personal level, speaking about childhood and innocence, before changing back to forceful aggression as the crowd cheered. It was a terrifying introduction to how a powerful dictator can hold people captive in so many ways.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

Well...:( kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnTOZp2qbaqlepo ).

[@bobapbob5812]

My wife worked on the set on Inside the Third Reich. The same happened during Hitler’s speech at Munich University. After the speech was over and Rutger Hauer looked over a quiet set everyone became silent.

[@theorangeoof926]

As much as we hate the man, he may be the best demagogue to ever exist.

[@lucaneiri5405]

I watched the AI translation and a lot of the comments were sympathizing with him

[@ExUSSailor]

Jason Isaacs was BRILLIANT as Marshal Zhukov in "The Death of Stalin".

[@SPLuvr]

He 100% stole the show and I loved it lmao

[@HistoryHit]

What's a war hero got to do to get some lubrication around here?

[@markfinlay422]

"I'm off to represent the entire Red Army at the buffet. You girls enjoy yourself." Zhukov was a true hero.

[@cleverusername9369]

Jason Isaacs is always a win, he elevates everything he appears in.

[@hoilst265]

@@markfinlay422 "YER A STAIN ON THAT FOOKIN' UNIFORM!" - "every actor was asked to keep their normal accents"...except Isaacs, who rightfully went Full Yorkshireman! Ay-up, Comrades!

[@chuckhoyle1211]

Forest Whitaker is such a talented actor. He always delivers.

[@har3036]

He would have made a great Hermann Goering in Der Untergang.

[@DJ-iu5bb]

@@har3036 def would of made a good Jeff Fort or Chief Malik in a Chicago Gang type of movie for Almighty Black P Stones

[@VivalaryMan]

Wasn't Herman goerring white? ​@@har3036

[@brokenfoxx]

Downfall is a hell of a film. It's one of the few films that actually tries to present a person, a humanity to Hitler, which is an incredible thing to do and something we need to be reminded of; even the monsters are human. We're all capable of it.

[@kb4903]

It’s brilliant. Shows the true horror of war and the chaos. No heroes, just people whose world is being destroyed all around them.

[@brokenfoxx]

@@kb4903 I should rewatch it but oh man, I remember it being rough. Maybe I'll watch the satire Death of Stalin instead

[@Jarl_egbert]

No it isnt, its propaganda designed to smear his image and mock him.

[@DanielNattochDag-in6xw]

@@Jarl_egbert damn you just not a clown but the entire circus

[@arnodobler1096]

​@@DanielNattochDag-in6xw👍🤣

[@torbjornkvist]

Bruno Ganz was a living legend in the end of his career (and life). They say that all the other German actors in the bunker scenes, when Hitler explodes in rage, became very red, or white, in their faces when the big Bruno Ganz started barking at them. It wasn't acting anymore, it was true indignation.

[@borismuller86]

My father was at school with him in Zürich and said he was a lovely man IRL. His transformation into Hitler was eerie. A great talent.

[@darnbricks]

Yeah, I don't think there are many actors who can absolutely convincingly portray both a ruthless dictator and an angel (Wings of Desire).

[@Pan_Blazej]

There's a great analysis of "Death of Stalin" on History Buffs. There it's said that Stalin speaks Cockney to represent that he spoke Russian with a heavy Georgian accent, which was seen as somewhat provincial.

[@PUARockstar]

Every accent bar major russian one (and also posh old Moscow accent of radio, TV and theatre of that time that is basically dead now) was deemed provincial

[@elisabethkronqvist3987]

One of my most cherished contrafactual scenarios in Soviet-era history still remains, "What if Chrushchev had been taller than Stalin, and had spoken Russian in a less provincial accent?"

[@Electricfox]

IIRC the reason why Isaacs gave Zhukov a Yorkshire accent was because Zhukov was often described as blunt and no-nonsense, and Isaacs considered Yorkshiremen to be the English epitome of that, and TBH he's not wrong.

[@agin1519]

Yep, all the accents are an attempt to give an English viewer a feeling for the diversity of Russian accents and their affect on listeners.

[@MattOsbun]

The Last King of Scotland was immensely powerful. So much so that I own it but can't bring myself to watch it again. Forrest Whitaker was deeply, deeply, frightening.

[@ginabeena6757]

Yes, it was horrifying to watch his psychopathy! I can't rewatch it either.

[@jonathanbrown9949]

Death of Stalin is a fantastically funny film but it also captures the horror of the late Stalinist period.

[@borismuller86]

Armando Iannucci is a true genius. The fact he can make a comedy set during that period which is equally funny, satirical and impactful just proves that.

[@FabioZCandioto]

Yeah the horror of defeating nazi germany having only 30 years to prepare and providing education and housing for free.

[@mazzaf7575]

@@borismuller86It is an amazing film but it’s not supposed to be a comedy.

[@spazzyshortgirl23]

@@mazzaf7575oh it is. Literally half the actors are professional comedians

[@marks.3303]

@@mazzaf7575 It is. It's just a dark comedy.

[@godfreyofbouillon966]

Dawnfall's famous meme scene was used for countless memes precisely because its such a powerful scene. Bruno Ganz performance was godlike. Such a great actor. RIP.

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

The best line in Valkyrie was: “There are very few problems in life that cannot be solved by the correct application of high explosive” :)

[@erakfishfishfish]

I prefer this line from The Good Place: “I'm telling you, Molotov cocktails work. Anytime I had a problem and I threw a Molotov cocktail, boom! Right away, I had a different problem.”

[@Yora21]

@@erakfishfishfish This immediately came to my mind when I saw the first post! : D

[@padmelotus]

The CIA attempts at Castro's life weren't because he was a dictator, but because he was the wrong kind of dictator for the US. The US had supported the previous dictator - Fulgencio Batista - with financial, military and logistical help. But, Castro was communist and anti-Western. That was what the the US didn't like.

[@attiepollard7847]

Thank you very much Captain obvious. It's best to put a western-backed dictator inside of other countries than a communist dictator in those Western countries

[@masonharvath-gerrans832]

Cold War was a bitch. Both sides were hostile to one another, and Castro was openly aligned with the red fascists in Moscow.

[@rebeccablackburn9487]

Exactly. He was an SOB, but he wasn't OUR SOB!!

[@mlbp2567]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@rebeccablackburn9487Fidel Castro was anything but an “SOB”! ¡Viva la Cuba! ¡Viva Fidel!

[@rebeccablackburn9487]

@@mlbp2567 that was what I meant. Plenty of world leaders have been viewed by the US as bad, but as long as they will cooperate with with us, we don't care if they are. Castro wouldn't, so our government has villified him hard.

[@davydatwood3158]

I first saw Forrest Whittaker in Good Morning Vietnam, when I was in junior high, and his "loveable buffoon" character locked into my mind. Then I saw Last King of Scotland and was just totally blown away.

[@butwhataboutdragons7768]

Would recommend Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai as well as The Crying Game if you like him. The Crying Game is far better known for its twists, but Whitaker's role early on really is quite impactful. Ghost Dog is a very surreal feeling movie and it's almost like it takes place in some fantasy world, and you'd think Whitaker might be miscast as an assassin, but it turns out to be perfect.

[@polyphoniczeitgeist465]

Bruno Ganz was a spectecular actor! So much so, that he was for many years the carrier and keeper of the fabled and famous Iffland-Ring. This is an old ring, once owned by famous actor named Iffland around 240 years ago. After the death of its owner, it is then presented in his will to the "greatest living actor of the German language". Being awarded this ring is considered to be the highest possible honour among actors of especially stage but also film. There is no jury involved, just one great actor choosing his own replacement for the next generation.

[@kartikvenkat5391]

Bruno Ganz and Forrest Whitaker. Two brilliant actors. Did absolute justice to their roles. Fantastic.

[@ANProductionsOfficialChannel]

Valkyrie is so underrated. I was SHOCKED by how much they got right. And I think it's a testament to the filmmakers that I was on the edge of my seat despite knowing everything that happened.

[@torbjornkvist]

The film "Stalin" wasn't green-lighted by Gorbatjev. It was shot directly after the coup attempt in Moscow and Boris Yeltsin was on his way to become Russia's first president. The green light came in the last minute, probably inspired by cash handouts. Most of the film was shot in Hungary.

[@SalznPfeffer658]

Have visited the wolf's lair in Poland. The preservation of it (most are destroyed but still existing in the midst of a forest) is very well done. Serious, informative and contemplative.

[@duncancurtis5971]

Forest Whitaker as Amin was as scary as hell, ferociously insane.

[@davidmakalla9656]

We Are Not A Game Nicolas

[@fotograf736]

Thanks for the wonderful video! Just a minor point; Hitler was never an officer, and distrusted the officer corps seeing them as a remnant of nobility, in fact in that very scene in Downfall he says something like "they learn how to hold a fork and spoon for years at the war academy." Edit: This was already mentioned by @Belcan57.

[@berwynjones8593]

That's right. He even mentions in the film that he should have gotten rid of the officers like Stalin did. He hates the old school Prussian officer class

[@hildahilpert5018]

I watched Downfall, and your right.Most officers in Germany were from the nobility.Not all were Prussian.Grandpa,s cousin, Generaloberst Carl Hilpert was Bavarian from Nuremberg.

[@glorytoamerica6332]

Yeah this guy makes a lot of interesting statements

[@BigMikeMcBastard]

Yeah. Hitler never rose beyond corporal. Although there was still an actual nobility still in the Junkers. The Nazis had a huge amount of support among them.

[@Ukraineaissance2014]

Voroshilov stood up to stalin, he supposedly screamed at him in public 'this is all your fault for destroying the red armies officers' (in the purges), i think thats what that scene was based on.

[@trevormegson7583]

Hello James. Thank you for your take. Powerful and highly watchable..

[@HistoryHit]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@stephmaehder4155]

Downfall's versions of Magda and Joseph Goebbels are terrifying. Joseph is frightening just standing there and Magda being fanatical enough to kill her own kids is nightmare fuel.

[@ginao6810]

I saw the film at the cinemas when it came out in 2004. I haven’t seen it since, but I can so clearly visualise that scene of Magda putting the pills in the sleeping children’s mouths and clamping down their jaws. And the little one that struggles and she holds them . Chills me to the bone almost 20 years later.

[@DMS-pq8]

Considering what the Soviets would have done to the children killing them with morphine was a blessing for them, Of course a good mother would have got them the hell out of Berlin before it was too late

[@alyh3721]

​@@ginao6810I remember walking in as my dad was watching it and just immediately leaving the room

[@mlbp2567]

⁠@@DMS-pq8They were only scared because they thought the Soviets would do the same to them that the Nazis had done to the Soviets, and even then nothing would compare

[@BigHenFor]

Simon Russell Beale playing Beria gave me the Willies in the comedy 'Death of Stalin'.

[@AirdrieRambler]

Hitler only reached the rank of corporal in WW1, hence the officer class mockingly referring to him as the "Bohemian Corporal". Another more widely used term was "Grofaz", a derogatory nickname abbreviated from the German for "Greatest military leader of all time".

[@banhammer8510]

Its Gröfaz and simply means greatest leader of all times ( not explicitly military ) and no it was not meant derogatory when the nazis used it.

[@KyleShiflet13666]

Hindenburg absolutely hated hitler

[@banhammer8510]

@@KyleShiflet13666 and yet made him chancellor..

[@TunjungUtomo]

@@banhammer8510his hands were basically tied, his only other choice were open rebellion by NSDAP/Nazi follower and that would almost be a certain catastrophe to the nation and people of Germany

[@kiweping5]

“I think dictators of the 20th century have a very justified reason… to be paranoid” That was NOT a good place to take a breath

[@aaronleverton4221]

It's not surprising Steiner's attack failed. I mean, the guy was killed in Studley Constable, Norfolk, in 1943.

[@johndoucette6085]

Nice one :)

[@davidrenton]

he didn't want that Iron cross anyway, the name of this film is very hard to get :)

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@davidrentonAh, I think you're referring to Corporal Rolf Steiner, I was talking about his second cousin once removed, the paratrooper Colonel Kurt Steiner.

[@jacobhill3302]

I found Bob Hoskins as a younger Kruschev in Enemy at the Gates intimidating

[@snelgrave101]

He was good in most things was Bob.

[@JutiMayranen]

11:03 those recordings that Bruno Ganz listened were the ones which were secretly recorded by the Finnish Public Broadcasting Company, Yleisradio YLE during Hitler's visit to congratulate Finnish Marshal Mannerheim on his 75th birthday in 1942.

[@alaintremaine3302]

Stalin, Hitler, and Idi Amin are well-known 'dictators of choice.' since the West (the U.K. and the U.S.A.) opposed these dictators. Lesser known dictators, passed over by NATO advisors, and supported by Prime Ministers and Presidents were: Ngo Dinh Diem (Viet Nam), Park Chung Hee (Republic of Korea), Anastasio Somoza Sr. & Jr. (Republic of Nicaragua), Mohammad Zia Ul-Haq (Pakistan) and Augusto Pinochet (Chile).

[@perrodetokio]

Indeed! Same with the dictator Videla (Argentina). Not only did the IMF grant him a loan (which had been denied to the previous argentinian DEMOCRATIC government), but he was also recognized by the USA as a lawful government. How curious.

[@masonharvath-gerrans832]

Yep, just realise that just because the West helped those bastards doesn’t mean that there is no regret. The West is confronting its mistakes head-on. I don’t see Russia confronting Bolshevism‘s crimes head-on at all, and in fact they are embracing him. So don’t be silly. It’s important to call out the mistakes made and even condemn them, but don’t get tunnel vision

[@adrianpina3125]

It´s glad to see this kind of comments. Even more when this expert only react to the movie and didn´t say anything differente from what all the West have told about this figures.

[@annoyed707]

He is reacting to major movies. Were movies made about the others?

[@Charliecomet82]

@@annoyed707The only one I know of was Somoza Jr., portrayed in "Under Fire."

[@davidbridge5652]

I constantly re-watch the death of stalin. There is always something new to pick up. Brilliant film.

[@TLDelapore]

I'm by no means fluent in Russian or Georgian but filming Stalin with that accent is brilliant. He had a Georgian accent that would have been seen similarly by Russians. Death of Stalin has impeccable casting.

[@anegaute]

It also has a thuggish connotation, which fits Stalin to a T

[@BELCAN57]

Hitler was a Lance Corporal, not an officer.

[@fenfrostpaws2000]

Okay nerd

[@submarineUK]

These idiots can't even get the most basic of facts correct. 😂 And Hitler wasn't off his head on drugs. Read Morrell's (his doctor) diary.

[@headlights-go-up]

@@bradleyreese5156fact checking is a killjoy to you? Why are you even here?

[@barbararice6650]

Germans didn't have Lance Corporals the rank was private first class, that's what Hitler was, nerd award 👈😑

[@Ogurets123]

You're right! And I find it hilarious (and also very sad) that people are shooting you down for fact checking, while they're watching a channel that is precisely about: facts 😂

[@Grim2]

3:06 - LMAO! All of sudden the vid takes a sharp turn toward propaganda! XD

[@slavic_viking9638]

Not propaganda if it's true, there is a new bust of Stalin made in Moscow to further glorify him, although not long from this bust, there is a monument dedicated to victims of his killings

[@Rich.L-J_KZN]

This is why I love History Hit, such great insights, great commentary!

[@pfranks75]

I have a subscription to History Hits and they do put their best documentaries on KZbin.

[@charlieross-BRM]

I had a room mate in a Canadian university 1973 who was a student from Uganda. Amin was ruling then. Eddie was expected to return home when he graduated but it was pretty clear that wasn't on his own agenda. Anyone paying attention back then knew what was happening in Uganda. Thirty years later I was mentoring refugees at immigration centers across Ontario. A Kurdish woman was one of those people we saw on the evening news, fleeing for Turkey along those mountain ridges for weeks. It was a privilege to listen to her first hand account of that exodus. Saddam had already been executed and she was safe and very well in Canada - but someone at the table casually used the name "Saddam" in a general remark and she froze for a few seconds, like someone just walked over her grave. That's how deep the fear of him got into the psyche of people on his exterminate list.

[@shayne1289]

I worked in Baghdad between the two Gulf Wars. The Iraqi people I met were very humble and I was told several times that Arab hospitality would usually mean they would invite me to their homes for a meal or tea, but they knew that if they did, my visit would be followed by a visit from the Intelligence Service who would 'question' them about what I said, what I wanted, what they said to me and so on. If they weren't happy with the answers the person could be taken away for further questioning with no guarantee of them being returned whole, or at all. I had friendly shopkeepers also express regret they couldn't be more 'hospitable' while shaking their head sadly and pointing at the (mandatory) framed picture of Saddam above the door behind them. They were terrified.

[@DeliRevv]

Bruno Ganz’ portrayal of Hitler in Downfall is the stuff of legends. To make an evil monster such as Hitler appear human where you even feel some empathy for him, that is not an easy task to pull off and he does it brilliantly with such accuracy and passion. In fact, every other portrayal of Hitler pales in comparison to Bruno’s.

[@alexliberti9679]

I would love to see more if this guy react to more dictators

[@Bobbymaccys]

Forrest Whitaker as Idi Amin is nothing less than enthralling to watch

[@peterbockholm3176]

The death of Stalin: The script is (officially) based on a graphic novel with the same name written by Fabien Nury and illustrated by Thierry Robin. A year or so before the movie premiered I read the book "20 Letters to a Friend" by Svetlana Alliluyeva, Stalin's daughter. When I had seen the film I read the book once more. There's surprisingly little that differs between her book and the film in regards to the character of the characters and the circumstances surrounding them both in their "daily business" and their dealings after the death of Stalin. I can't find any reference to the book anywhere, not in the movie script or the novel, but they did for sure read Svetlana's book very thoroughly and took notes. She also wrote a book titled "Only One Year: A Memoir" about the first year after her defection. I haven't read it yet by I can recommend 20 letters.... for anyone interested in that part of history. She doesn't glamorize anything, it feels quite honest. She in no way hide the fact that she had an enormous hate towards Beria and how he exploited Stalin for his own agenda when Stalin became weaker with age. Stalin was after all her father and perhaps somewhat surprising she speaks fondly of him as such.

[@rfvtgbzhn]

From what I know Svetlana Alliluyeva's books are autobiographic, but "the Death of Stalin" is a comedy movie, so of course there are differences.

[@DiabolicalAngel]

Bruno Ganz gave a haunting performance. Damn.

[@ChicoCabra]

It would have been nice to see Castro and Franco, they have been portrayed in around 5 films each. Interestingly, (James) Franco is going to play Castro in an upcoming film.

[@will-i-am-not]

I worked in Uganda for nearly 3 years near the end of the war mid eighties. Everyone in Uganda I spoke to said that Idi Amin was a baby compared to the butchery of Milton Obote

[@Gibson1980]

Didn't know Lance corporal changed from an enlistedmen's rank to officer ...

[@skylarpaquette4783]

I think lance corporal is nco, is it not?

[@ginao6810]

I went to the cinema with my Modern History class to watch Downfall in grade 11. It wasn’t a school sanctioned event*. We were a very small class (12) with a teacher who really got us as a group. We all decided to go on a Tuesday night and watch the movie together. We kept talking about it for weeks afterwards. We’d come to class and someone would say they researched a character or event or place, and this is what they found. I’ve never watched it since, but there are parts I can see in my mind so clearly. The mother and her sleeping children 😢 *to be clear, the school knew about it, it just wasn’t a school funded/instigated excursion. Parents knew about it, a few parents watched the movie too, not because we needed chaperones, but because they wanted to see the film. It was all above board.

[@XxLeCaptainxX]

This episode sucks. Guy sounds like he read a few wikipedia articles that the producer fed him before going down the list.

[@Folgeantrag]

I am a German. I studied History and Politics. I read a lot about the NS Regime and studied my own familiy history and especially what my grandfathers did at the war. When i saw Downfall in the Cinema i was shoked about my own emotions how closely Bruno Ganz incarnated Hitler and how banned i was by his performance. As former President Weizäcker pointed it out wounderfully the End of the War is a emotional very difficult moment for the german nation but it was the day of liberation from Hitlers Regime. I dearly hope that Russia will be liberated from Stalins Legacy and China from Maos one time. No Nation should longer celebrate Totalitarian Rule, Genocide, Mass Murder and Criminal Warfare as a positive sign of it own history

[@judechauhan6715]

16:41 thought he was gonna say "one thing that I think unites pretty much every" and then I thought it would end "unites everyone is their hatred/celebration of independence from British rule" lol

[@inregionecaecorum]

I met an African dictator once at a Christmas party. He had been overthrown by then and he helped me put my coat on as I got ready to go home, it was heavy and he said to me "What have you got in your pockets, gold bars?"

[@nicolasrodriguez3581]

Which dictator?

[@inregionecaecorum]

@@nicolasrodriguez3581 Yakubu Gowon, he was in exile studying at Warwick University at the time.

[@214TwoOneFo]

I’ll take things that never happened for 500$

[@slappy8941]

​@@214TwoOneFoYeah because nothing ever happens, right? Do you also think that things disappear when you close your eyes? 😂😂😂

[@xondisco]

Was that in the 1970s? I heard he became a churchwarden in England. That he's still around and is 88 now

[@ingredpaulson4530]

Coincidentally, Bruno Ganz also appeared in The Boys from Bazil (1978) a sci-fi thriller about a Nazi hunter who discovers a plot to clone Hitler in South America.

[@TheRantolo5]

Bruno Ganz was a stunning actor. To say the least.

[@lenardbaum6378]

What i found absolute wild is, that Downfall not even won one oscar - Bruno Ganz was absolute mindblowing

[@TzunSu]

This was very entertaining! He claims that the actor who played Hitler in Der Untergang listened to Hitlers private recordings, but afaik, there exists only one recording of Hitler speaking in private, in a normal tone of voice, when he's meeting with the Finnish Marshal Mannerheim.

[@marcelrenes2435]

Bruno Ganz deserved an Oscar for his role. I've never seen such a good portrayal of Hitler. I even dare to say the movie deserved the Oscar as best motion picture. But Americans don't like subtitles... Greetings from The Netherlands.

[@willhovell9019]

Saddam was supported by the west for sometime as he fought the Iranians. In the round was it really worth a million + people's lives and facilitate the rise of ISIS /DESH to get rid of him!? A huge unanswered question that was paid for in Iraqi, Kurdish, Marsh Arab & Yezidi lives and limbs 😢 It is hugely more complex than film or you portray

[@Shade01982]

Those questions are always incredibly complex. Many blame the west for the rise of these terrorist organizations, having meddled in Middle East politics for so long. But come on, not only were these not the same people for the most part, it wasn't even the same generation.

[@haraldisdead]

Bringing up Putin while discussing the history of Stalin is straight up racist.

[@inquisition3173]

Actually in death of Stalin as History Buffs pointed out, that letter he was reading when he had a stroke. That was actually two different events they combined together. At a staff meeting, after that pianist sent her recording to Stalin and he sent her a bunch of money, she wrote him back politely declining the money and said something tongue in cheek about how she would pray for him. The movie makes it seem like she was a loud and outspoken revolutionary, but in reality she feared him like the rest but had the courage to not be complicit. Stalin read her letter out loud in front of the party leaders, who all offered to punish her for her words, but in a rare moment Stalin told them to stop talking and the letter became a forbidden topic of conversation. Stalin loved her music and was truly a big fan, he didnt want to lose that part of his life. He had her music on the record player when the guards found him after his stroke, so she was one of the last things he ever heard. Additionally, while Stalin was a monster of a husband, but a wonderful father. (At least to his Daughter Svetlana). Stalin's wife Nadezhda accused Stalin at a dinner party they hosted about one of his brutal atrocities, and Stalin essientially told her to shut up and flicked cigarettes at her while everyone laughed. So Nadezhda locked herself in their bedroom and shot herself. Stalin was actually pretty impacted by this as you could later see with his daughter Svetlana, who reminded Stalin of his late wife Nadezhda. Stalin took amazing care of her, and Svetlana was known as a very sweet and kind person by the people. Honestly look her up, her story is pretty wholesome and fascinating considering who her father was. After Kruschev's reign as the party leader, Svetlana fled to the US and became a naturalized American citizen. She wrote a bunch of books and sold her story talking about Stalin and the USSR, off royalties alone it made her a mega millionaire. She passed away in 2011, but shes got a giant family with a bunch of living relatives that all have the last name of Peter. I think they are all in or around the Wisconsin area. Stalin is pure evil and he deserved everything he got, but its weird seeing the echoes of a man somewhere inside the monster. Think its fascinating to see the microscopic rare moments of kindness from Stalin.

[@anssimyllymaki1624]

Only surviving record of Hitlers normal talking voice is from Finland. Hitler visited Mannerheim's birthday at Finland. Journalist secretly recorded conversation between Hitler and Mannerheim.

[@jamesoblivion]

In historical footage, you can see Hitler, toward the end, holding his left hand behind his back, as it shakes uncontrollably. He definitely had some kind of tremor there, which Downfall accurately portrays.

[@claudiamann7111]

Fabulous movies. Thanks for such an interesting program.

[@carolbuzelim]

I remember watched Downfall at school. What a movie, amayzing The speach with everyone hearing is awesome

[@cannae216]

I'd love to see you cover the outstanding movie Conspiracy in a future vid. In addition to Downfall, Conspiracy is one of my fave WW2 movies. Not a drop of violence--just men talking at a table for the entire runtime--but it's simply horrifying. Over fancy coffees and with the haughty air of legitimacy, they condemn millions to death.

[@shadowbossmsm]

James is brilliant! It is really interesting to hear his take on these.

[@beatrixxxkiddo]

The last king of Scotland is amazing, hugely recommended

[@stephanleo]

Bruno Ganz was actually a swiss actor! What a performance.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

Downfall was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Academy Awards.

[@czarnakawa7958]

The point in Death of Stalin was nobody was in any rush to get a doctor for him and had to put on a show and drama just in case he survived or those present thought you were a traitor.

[@chiselcheswick5673]

The Death of Stalin is one of my favourite films. Great example of how to make a complicated and dark period of history accessable and interesting to watch (plus it has some very funny moments).

[@spazzyshortgirl23]

The funeral scene and every Zhukov scene kills me

[@chuckhoyle1211]

The appeal of the dictator is that they can get things done. When things have collapsed and people are suffering they turn to someone who can get things done. A person who can cut through the bureaucratic nonsense and implement change. If things are bad enough, any change can be seen as an improvements. They can "make the trains run on time." Usually they become corrupt and self-serving, but you can understand the appeal in the beginning.

[@CharlieNoodles]

No, they claim that they will get things done but they tend to be fairly ineffective leaders. They’re good at appealing to populist ideas and in seizing power but once they have power they don’t really know what to do with it.

[@sheboyganshovel5920]

Most of the time their greatest ability is oratory. They don't understand the world they're living in, but they can paint vividly. People fall for it. They want to believe the simple view the dictator presents, they want to believe there's an enemy who can be defeated and the rivers will run gold.

[@heldinahtmlhell]

Another appeal is that they're usually patriotic and are greatly preferable to being run by the US's chosen puppet. This is certainly the case with Putin. Life for Russians under Putin is far better than it was in the 90s when the west plundered the country. Also, external threat causes and justifies internal authoritarianism. It's very hard to be democratic when you're under attack from global superpowers. You see a small taste of this dynamic in the west, eg the UK didn't have an election during the war, The Patriot Act/Guantanamo Bay as a response to 9/11. "Strong" leadership is invariably the response to outside threats. This is why US foreign policy and dropping democracy bombs on countries is so egregious.

[@diabsoul]

I wish he went into more detail as to why he didn't like Valkyrie.

[@savageantelope3306]

Loving the commentary

[@amys2650]

I could literally listen to him review things all day

[@blackhoundrise8431]

I can’t take Downfall seriously anymore thanks to those Chuck “Downfall” Norris KZbin videos. I laugh everytime I see this scene and imagine subtitles talking about Chuck Norris on his way to destroy him 🤣🤣

[@conor9345]

Facts

[@weasle5022]

Stalin was a funny one, no one was ever allowed in his bedroom under any circumstance. He faked choking one night, a guard rushed in to save him, he had him executed immediately. So when he did collapse and die, the guards heard the commotion and sounds of him falling and dying, but none we're game enough to check on him.

[@peterbockholm3176]

The Russian Ark is another film shot in the real Russian historical location. It's a film with double plots which can make it somewhat confusing if you like me watch it as a film buff. One plot is the last high society ball before the revolution, the ball took place in 1913. The second plot is a jorney through russias history and is told via a dialogue between an unseen narrator and a visible charachter presented as ”the European”. I belive that they aren't a part of the ball but moves outside or along it. Each room represents a different part of the history. The production facts are staggering, 2.000+ actors and three orchestras. Shot in one single take moving through 33 rooms in the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, the very same rooms where the actual ball took place. The rooms survived the revolution surprisingly well and have since been carefully restored to what they looked like that day. The Hermitage Museum would only allow them on day of filming, the team calculated that they only would have time for three attempts, they aborted the first two but got it right the third time. There's a documentary about the production that's almost as fascinating as the film itself. The Russian Ark is a 96 minute long masterpiece by Aleksandr Sokurov whether you're a film or history buff, or both.

[@kellypritchard6516]

Would love his opinion on Aung San Suu Kyi and her arc of Myanmar's hero to new dictator

[@zax8961]

Fascinating analysis!

[@rfvtgbzhn]

4:32 actually Beria in reality ordered that nobody should get in. He probably wanted Stalin to die to become his heir. There are also rumors that he poisened Stalin, however we will probably never know this, as there was no autopsy.

[@Tadicuslegion78]

I want to know how many hours of latex and gluing it took to make Robert Duvall look like Robert DiNero looking like Stalin

[@benjaminosterloh3605]

I doubt there was much Russian … I’ll see myself out now

[@Tadicuslegion78]

@@benjaminosterloh3605 Stalin: *Short chuckle* Gulag son,

[@stevenhernandeznon-profitf968]

@@benjaminosterloh3605lol

[@stewartmackay]

Interesting stuff, thank you.

[@lindenmanmax]

I still have yet to read Giles Foden's book The Last King of Scotland, but I thought the screenplay softened Amin out of recognition. There were good reasons for this. First, it's more interesting to see power corrupting an idealist than it is to watch an already corrupt person acting out his worst impulses. Second, if Amin were shown to be genocidal from the get-go, Dr. Garrigan would look like a jerk for joining his suite, and we wouldn't invest any emotion in him.

[@garrettschlegel2442]

He calls Hitler an infantry officer. Was he famously a corporal? Doesn’t that influence a lot of his feelings towards the general staff? And wasn’t it crucial to his popularity in Germany that he wasn’t an officer during the First World War?

[@gjh997]

Excellent video. Great watch 👌

[@fragnet4635]

Very well read and reflected historian, thank you James and keep it up.

[@gezzarandom]

Apparently Stalin knew Hitler was planning an attack on Russia but waited until he had the information regarding Japan’s intentions before he acted. Not sure if it’s true or not.

[@humblescribe8522]

He knew because people were telling him. But he assumed Churchill and Roosevelt were lying to get him to fight Hitler and die on their behalf, and he assumed his generals were just being paranoid. He thought he understood Hitler better than anyone. He was wrong. When he realised how badly he had miscalculated, he went into a depression and wasn't seen for two weeks. But he got past it.

[@mattatomattahto]

From what I understand, Stalin and Hitler both knew they would end up fighting each other at some point, Stalin just misjudged when and how.

[@davidprosser7278]

Beria: "He's feeling unwell".

[@Rog5446]

What's the point of playing tennis with your double, when there's an assassin about, they will kill both of them.

[@HistoryHit]

🤣🤣🤣

[@perrodetokio]

I guess the assasssin has to shoot one of them first. Giving the other one (real or fake) to react. "Eeny meeny miny moe"😅

[@nightowlrally]

10:45 Never mind the tension inside that bunker, imagine the smell. Among many such maladies Hitler was afflicted by meteorism, which means he had more gas than an Exxon tanker ship and uncontrollable flatulence. Must've walked around like he was trying to hold a balloon between his knees.

[@frazmars]

Explains him losing it in this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqvKmmV6j7ygaMUsi=1pTC6BkLcOnztfWg

[@blake7587]

Anyone who calls Stalin a “war hero” must also think Hitler is a “war hero”. 🙄

[@michaelsalmon9832]

Idk is Churchill a war hero? Or do Ukrainian dead people just matter more than Bengali dead people

[@sjtimmer7]

The thing he says about paranoia being necessary for dictators, I want to see him play or watch CK3 with a paranoid ruler, who dies of stress, because someone tries to kill him.

[@wag0NE]

Great commentary more of James please

[@katherinecollins4685]

Enjoyed this

[@CarterElkins]

11:38 Huh, could've sworn that rant was about him losing a game of Sid Meier's Civilization.

[@jamesoblivion]

Valkyrie is fine, I think. There are several films about the plot, and I think they're all worth watching. Valkyrie may be the slickest, but it's more or less as historically sound as the others.

[@VaterOrlaag]

"Hitler was an infantry officer" And this guy is supposed to be a military historian??

[@redcardinalist]

Re. Valkyrie, what IS that accent Hitler has? Were they trying for Transylvanian vampire? 😆

[@hoilst265]

Who else would you get to play Nikita Kruschev? Bob Hoskins!

[@dxfan18]

He did in "Enemy at the Gates"

[@rfvtgbzhn]

0:48 Stalin actually knew that the Germans would attack the USSR at some time. he was just shocked because he thought they weren't yet ready and would take much longer.

[@williamrobinson7435]

James Rogers has done some sterling work for History Hit. These film veracity comparison things are a tough assignment relative to a straightforward subject covering, but this was both informative and at points witty in delivery. Bruno Ganz is indeed a very fine actor and the portrayal of Hitler is quite brilliant. Nice one team! ⭐👍

[@bradleylummus5931]

i love history hit