The Empty Mirror (1996) User Reviews (28)

Why Do We Still Care...

[supershaman · 7/10 · 1 April 2002]

For a relatively young, post-war Boomer like myself, this spellbinding movie poses a question which is more fascinating than Hitler himself ever was. Out here in ultra-liberal California, why do we still pay any attention to this guy? He died in the Bunker in Berlin on April 30, 1945, five years before I was even born.

Over the years, I've seen multiple object lessons on the benefits of tolerance and the sheer self-destructiveness of intolerance. I've seen everything improve from my love-life to my job prospects, as I have become more tolerant, more "easy-going" over the years.

Maybe it's because World War Two is one of the cases in which good really did vanquish evil.

On the other hand, maybe there is something mesmerizing about mental pathology, or at least the type that this neurotic SOB had. This guy was no BS-ing Spiro Agnew, no sobbing Jimmy Swaggart, he was the "real deal", a man who truly did the devil's work. And yet, who coolly maintained a distance between his person and the "Final Solution to the Jewish Problem". An animal-loving, sentimental vegetarian who loved bloody war. A raging maniac who revelled in his own anger, but who never himself killed anyone in civilian life. An adherent of "physical culture" who was sallow-skinned and infected with syphilis. A charismatic figure who spent his private life in an odd sort of solitude. A man who lived for a "glorious" past, but whose operatives created jet airplanes, robot bombs and the first ballistic missile, majorly contributing to the Twentieth Century which he so detested.

Yeah, sometimes pathological men are entertaining. And this movie tells us something about him and a great more about ourselves. Research on the Third Reich itself can become a form of conquest.

Stalin rules with Terror I ruled with Passion!

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 3 July 2006]

**SPOILERS** German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler, Norman Rodway, in a purgatory-like in between or astral world bunker is seen reviewing his life and commenting on what he did as if he's arguing his case before a judge and jury in some higher court in the sky. Having with him a number of Hitler youths, blond and blue eyed golden nuggets as Hitler calls them, and two of his top henchmen Josef Gobbels and Hermann Goering, Joel Gray & Glenn Shadix, to make him feel at home; together with an SS typist, Doug McKeon, who takes down every word that Hitler says. We the audience are given a deep and rare insight into Hitler's mind and what he thought of himself his place in history and the crimes that he committed during his lifetime.

Hitler talking about his great accomplishments, good and bad, that made him undoubtedly one of the most feared recognized and written about persons in world history makes up most of the dialog in the film. In this in-between world of life and death is also Hitler's bride of one day, April 29/30 1945, and long time mistress Eva Braun, Camilla Soeberg. There's also Sigmund Freud, Peter Michael Goetz, thrown into the movie who spends most of his time on screen psycho-analyzing Hitler to Hitler's, who has no use for him, great annoyance and disgust.

With films of his life as the German dictator played over and over on a number of screens all around the, what looks like, underground bunker that he's in Hitler for the first time in his life, if he's indeed alive in the movie, admits to his many mistakes that brought about the disaster that fell upon himself and the country that he claims to love so much Nazi Germany. A lot of what Hitler says in the movie "The Empty Mirror" has mostly to do with his generals and how they double-crossed and betrayed him in the war by selling out to save their own necks at his and Germanys expense. We also see and hear Hitler crying about how he'll, sob sob, never be able to make the German capital of Berlin the great modern metropolis that he envisioned it to be; with him seen sadly playing, like a little boy, with a toy scale model of the city.

Hitler also admits that his two greatest mistakes in the war was his invasion of the USSR in the summer of 1941 and later that year declaring war against the United States as an obligation that he had to his Japanese allies, after that country's attack on Pearl Harbor. This just days after his panzer divisions were soundly defeated and thrown back from the gates of Moscow by the Red Army and the brutal Russian Winter.

The movie gets overly esoteric as Hitler starts to suddenly turn snow white and age becoming almost unrecognizable, looking like an unkempt and disheveled Captain Kangaroo, as he sees the results of his actions that throughout the movie he tried to overlook and ignore. Hitler sees films of liberated concentration camps and the thousands of dead found in them and literally goes mad as if that's his ultimate punishment.

Interesting but just a bit too talky of a movie with Hitler, as if he's in a Broadway Musical, having a number of unnecessary costume changes as if to show us in the audience what and extensive wardrobe he had and how good he look wearing it. We even see Hitler cracking jokes, which no one with him in the bunker would dare, about himself as if he were doing some kind of stand-up comic routine. The films of Hitler and Nazi Germany get a bit too much since they never for once let up and give you a chance to digest what's happening in the movie. By the time "The Empty Mirror" is over your almost as worn out watching the movie as Hitler or actor Norman Rodway is in being in it.

Good writing but mediocre casting

[MykNobody · 6/10 · 10 June 2006]

The Empty Mirror is like a stage production, almost entirely a monologue. It is Adolph Hitler's fictitious self-examination (interrupted by a detached Sigmund Freud to give his objective analysis). I really enjoyed the writing and performances. The production is a bit cheap, but for what it is, it still works. My main complaint is the casting of Norman Rodway as Adolph Hitler. He portrays the insanity of Hitler with painfully acute skill. But, his long face and British accent breaks the illusion, taking the audience out of the story, and I feel he was just a poor choice for the part of such a well-known historical figure. The Roles of Goering, Goebbels, and Freud on the other hand were cast very well, with excellent performances.

The story illuminates the power of illusions and how someone could delude themselves into believing almost anything. It humanizes Hitler a bit, examining how he destroyed himself in his lust for power, and how the same thing could happen again.

An Interesting Foray Into a Fascinating Character

[Eclectic Critic · 29 November 2000]

I strongly disagree with the comments made about this movie. It's not obscene. It's an honest attempt to get at the heart of one of the most fascinating and significant people in history. Sure, it takes some chances but all great works of art do. Is there any guarantee that Hitler actually had the thoughts that the writers of this movie think he had? No. But that's the case with most biographical movies. All in all, I found the movie disturbing, enlightening, and very much worth seeing.

Hitler, the war over, reviews his life and find he's in hell.

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 26 August 2007]

Odd duck movie thats more filmed monologue or solo play except that you can't do some of what happens on stage. Hitler isn't alone, Goebbels (played by Joel Grey) and and others wander through to add counterpoint and commentary on what the fuhrer is speaking about. Its very good and very well done but suffers from a lack of dramatic building. Much of it is at a fever pitch with no build up. Its like a story thats a series of emotional climaxes. I found the film informative and enlightening in its way, but it also wore me down as we jumped from peak to peak. I can see why some people hate the film. I don't hate the film, I actually like it a great deal, however I find it flawed in its construction which makes recommending it a tough call. If you're interested in the subject or the take I suggest giving it a try, especially since it pops up on IFC periodically. All other stay away.

Dreadful

[Jimbo-96 · 1/10 · 7 March 2001]

Sitting through this film was torture. Of course, some people like this sort of stuff and that is fine as I am sure there are some thoughtful insights into the Hitler character. In the future, I will stick with the excellent, but redundant World War II documentaries.

Make no mistake, this is an art house film that the general population looking for general entertainment, will be sorely disappointed. It's not surprising that more people gave this film a 1 than any other rating, as of this writing. Maybe, I could of gave it a 2, had not the Hitler role been terribly over acted. At least, this film was in predominately in color.

Historically and Intellectually Dishonest

[Katzfilm · 4/10 · 27 December 2002]

The Empty Mirror is an astonishingly peculiar movie. The photography and art direction -- all of the production values, all the technical credits, in fact -- are professionally accomplished and wonderfully lush. By comparison, the film's pedantry is agonizing.

The film viewer is subjected to an infuriating and unrelentingly steady stream of pronouncements by Hitler and his cohorts, unchallenged and unanswered by the filmmaker. This movie is artistically, ethically, and intellectually dishonest. For the writer/director to have re-crafted Hitler, the historical figure, as a penitent, as a man who, in his final moments, gains self realization, and who expresses remorse and anguish for the horror he has created. The director's agenda is he wants us to forgive Hitler. But that is not for us to do -- neither our job, nor our right. Rather, it is for us -- those who were not persecuted by Hitler -- to try to understand why and how Hitler was able to do what he did and how it was he was able to impel nations -- Germany, Austria, Hungary, France, Romania, Ukraine, etc. -- to do his evil work. It is for the murder victims -- and God -- to forgive Hitler; we present day humans have no standing in this special court.

Finally, it is historically incorrect and ethically dishonest to suggest Hitler was remorseful at his end. By all accounts from the bunker, before he blew his brains out, he went out of this world cursing the Jews for his plight.

The director has assembled a hodgepodge of speculative psychohistory, mostly discredited by serious scholars, certainly obscure, dense, and fragmented. See this movie for it's production values -- especially if you are a fan of the great cinematographer Frederick Elmes, ASC. Alas, there is no insight to be found in this hopelessly muddled and manipulative mishmash of a movie.

A Reflection of Life One Cannot Ignore

[reelreviewsandrecommendations · 8/10 · 5 November 2023]

In a subterranean bunker, displaced from place and time, Adolf Hitler is very much alive. Full of his trademark demented energy and vigour, he rants and raves about art, philosophy and psychology. Dictating his memoirs, the Führer displays little remorse, while compatriots such as Goebbels, Goering and Eva Braun continue to feed his ego. However, the appearance of Sigmund Freud, as well as a mysterious woman in black, cast doubts over the fascist's agenda; leading him to finally question his legacy and life.

A complex and intriguing experimental film, Barry J. Hershey's 'The Empty Mirror' is a fascinating examination of one of the most infamous characters in history. Written alongside someone credited only as R. Buckingham, Hershey's screenplay is strongly written, painting a nuanced portrait of the Führer, whilst condemning his National Socialist policies. Much like Oliver Hirschbiegel's 'Downfall,' the film does not take a one-dimensional view of the man, exploring the humanity of a most inhumane character.

Hershey's version of Hitler is a man struggling to accept the fact that his policies failed, that his ideas for the world were not realized in his lifetime. Though an egotistical lunatic in many respects, the film highlights the magnetic- and to modern viewers, perhaps maniacal- draw he had over audiences. Through his rants- many of which are taken word for word from 'Mein Kampf'- we begin to understand the man better than in most other contemporary accounts or films; such as the overwrought 'Hitler: The Rise of Evil,' or in the rather one-note 'The Death of Adolf Hitler.'

It is a powerful film with an important- albeit familiar- message at its centre: that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and that even the most powerful and evil people are still just that; people. The film doesn't try to mythologize the man, nor his actions, and is all the better for it. Furthermore, through his encounters with Freud, Hitler is finally faced with someone who disagrees with him on practically every level. In this respect, the narrative showcases that authoritarianism breeds isolated ignorance, leading everyone involved down a dark and sinister path.

'The Empty Mirror' is a visually striking affair, containing stylish imagery that compounds the main messages of the film. Influenced by the same expressionism and surrealism so well-utilized by Leni Riefenstahl, Frederick Elmes's unique cinematography employs a compelling mix of black-and-white and colour footage. This choice deftly contrasts the stark reality of Hitler's ideology with the vivid, often grotesque fantasy of his envisioned utopia.

Symbolic elements are woven throughout, with the mirror serving as a recurring motif for self-reflection, while the painting and chessboard symbolizes control and strategy. The mysterious woman in black introduces an element of the unknown, casting a shadow over Hitler's certainty, while Elmes's use of tight close-ups captures the intensity of his delusions. Elmes's utilisation of low angle shots elevates the Führer's imposing presence, while the dimly lit, oppressive bunker interior makes for a claustrophobic experience, trapping the viewer in Hitler's warped mindset; forcing a confrontation with the disturbing allure of his rhetoric. Elmes's work not only enhances the psychological drama of proceedings, but also serves as a stark reminder of the power of visual media to manipulate and mesmerize.

Furthermore, John Frizzell's score is haunting and evocative. Combined with Elmes's visuals, his work recreates the intense atmosphere that must have been experienced at a National Socialist rally in the late 30's. Making effective use of pieces by Wagner and others, Frizzell's stirring melodies create an atmosphere of epic dread, which is only compounded by the affecting sound design, as well as Melinda Eshelman's remarkably accurate costume design; while Marc Grossman's intuitive editing holds everything together adroitly.

'The Empty Mirror' finds Norman Rodway starring as Hitler, delivering a powerful and poignant performance that highlights the man's madness, as well as his humanity. Rodway could be the fascist's double, at times, so uncannily does he capture Hitler's expressive gesticulations. It is a grounded performance, full of nuance and subtlety. Camilla Søeberg is equally good as the somewhat naïve Eva Braun, while Peter Michael Goetz, Glenn Shadix and Joel Grey do sterling efforts as Freud, Goering and Goebbels, respectively.

A fascinating film, 'The Empty Mirror' is a clever and canny examination of Adolf Hitler, that doesn't attempt to excuse the man or lessen the inhumanity of his actions. A balanced and provocative portrait of the madness borne of absolute power; it is a film that will keep one thinking long after the credits have rolled. Boasting strong dialogue, power-house performances, a stirring score and striking cinematography, Barry J. Hershey's 'The Empty Mirror' casts a reflection of life one cannot ignore.

Truly awful -- historically, cinematically, philosophically

[BG-13 · 1/10 · 15 May 1999]

A complete waste of film. Offensive in the extreme. Surreal, but full of psychobabble and cinematic cliches.

Hitler is presented as an extremely self-conscious intellectual, philosophizing about his triumphs and failures. Actually made to utter the line "I was waiting for God to stop me."

The director, in a Q&A session after a screening, suggested that he had no historical basis for any of the attitudes portrayed; further (and obscene), he was "perhaps trying to de-demonize Hitler." When asked why one would think of doing that, he had no response.

Psychologically and historically faithful for those who understand Hitler

[nydrydoc · 8/10 · 4 November 2000]

.

While I doubt this movie appeals to the majority of people, it is never-the-less accurate both historically and psychologically. Many of the ideas expressed (by the character Hitler and his cohorts), facts referenced, and behavior exhibited are realistic. I have studied Hitler to a some extent, particularly his psychology and neuroses (read Robert G .L. Waite), and I feel that this movie shows the man as he was, a facade of power covering thinly doubt and pain. Hitler is not, after all, simply the worst monster in history, he had reasons and beliefs that motivated his actions. While the depiction of him may seem to inappropriate to some, it shows Hitler as a vulnerable, conflicted person who uses power and cruelty to attempt to hide his own debilitating lack of self confidence. Hitler needed to be accepted, loved, and to belong. He tried to use power and fear as a surrogate for all these things that make a healthy happy person, but it gave him no rest. He did indeed stare into an empty mirror. Hitler was a victim of his own twisted mind and lonely, hollow existence.

Hitler deserves not to be forgiven, but understood. The empty mirror shows Hitler as human, and a weak one. This is not a tribute: Hitler wanted to be remembered as a great destructive prophet, to see him as the vulnerable victim of himself (while not pardoning what he did) is not what Hitler wanted. Watch, and understand Hitler the victim.

A missed opportunity for some sparkling mental acrobatics

[Wolfi-10 · 2/10 · 1 August 2006]

The film shows Hitler and some of his cronies having survived the war and living in some subterranean hideaway, watching old movies of their heydays, contemplating their past as well as their philosophies, and generally working on their memoirs. The fundamental problem of the film is that the screen writers have Hitler repeatedly confess that all his public appearances were a great piece of acting, but they let him speak throughout the movie in the same bombastic voice as in those public appearances. They can't have it both ways; and it is well known that Hitler, when not in the public eye, used to speak like a normal person (and, reportedly, could even be witty at it).

Many of Hitler's post-mortem profundities the writers came up with aren't quite that profound, but some of his more basic observations do sound true; for example that Stalin ruled over the masses exclusively by terror, while he himself earned their honest support by stirring their enthusiasm. Perhaps this is the reason that the Russian people were never blamed for the countless murders committed by the Soviets in the same way the German people were held responsible for those committed by the Nazis; or perhaps this difference stems for the fact that the Soviets did it mostly to their own people and not to the Jews in particular.

Under the banner of political correctness, it cannot be expected that the producers give Hitler much credit for anything good. He is permitted to mention that he loved animals and initiated legal measures to prevent cruelty to animals; and that Germany fell apart in the early 1930s before he came to power - that he was in fact democratically elected was however not deemed noteworthy. And strange, that in all his ramblings he does not recall, and in the ceaseless old movies flashing at his cave walls it never comes up, that he invented and built the autobahns, on which those producers even nowadays enjoy their Fahrvergnügen.

One great mystery of the movie is how Sigmund Freud got caught up with Hitler in the underground bunker; and another even greater puzzle is how come he has nothing of the slightest substance to say to or about the Führer. As a matter of fact, the latter spurts out far more psychological babble about himself than the grand master. If Freud was supposed to be a moral counterpart to Hitler in the movie, he was not given a chance to pull his weight.

A

[regturais · 22 October 2000]

A superficial pass over The Empty Mirror will lead to superficial conclusions. I saw this several years ago at an American Cinematheque screening in Los Angles. The director (himself Jewish) tried to take a look at Hitler as a man, unsullied by the gross oversimplifications that typically underscore such material.

Most people feel a need to discard Hitler as merely "insane" and "evil" because it conveniently avoids the stickiness of trying to develop an understanding of his psychology. Most other material about Hitler and the Third Reich may try to offer honest insights, but more often then not devolve at some point into oblique moral condemnation "All you REALLY need to know is that they were all very NAUGHTY/BAD/EVIL." They don't trust you to be intelligent and reach your own conclusions.

The Empty Mirror takes a reasonably unclouded look - the majority of Hitler's lines are taken directly from _Mein Kampf_ and his interaction with other significant figures of the era provide us with insight (conjectured but believable) into his thought processes, motives, and rationalizations.

The movie occurs in a surreal, dripping dark stone bunker which the camera never seems to quite capture the dimensions of. It's more of a "dream" state than actual location as the rooms change, occupants shift, uniforms taken on and off.

See the movie yourself. The director is for once not insulting our abilities and is providing an opportunity to reach our own conclusions. Swallow your distaste for the subject for an hour and a half and try to objectively form your own opinion.

Remember that this is the last movie hitler would ever want anyone to see - one that demystifies the "Fuhrer-myth" by showing him to NOT necessarily be a 2-dimensional cartoon hellbeast, but alas, merely a man.

Nazi Revisionism at its WORST!

[hk86 · 1/10 · 25 March 2000]

Not that any Nazi revisionism is good, but this is the worst purveyor of that "genre". Definitely a surreal setting, with a somewhat of an interesting idea behind it. But it just makes Hitler out to be a misunderstood guy who tried to do good. This is Nazi revisionism week for me. I unknowingly purchased a book that turned out to be of that ilk also. I threw it in the trash. Don't waste a minute of your life on it.

Hell--worth 117 minutes of serious consideration

[Abby-9 · 9/10 · 27 August 2000]

In 1956, our high school history classes were assembled in the auditorium and shown the film documentation which was used as evidence at the Nuremburg trials. "The Empty Mirror"--a fiction--is well enough made to convey a chamber in Hell and bring closure to my 44 years of personal nightmare set going by that documentary footage. The fiction of Hitler's self-deconstruction, helped by a clear-eyed Sigmund Freud, includes such declarations as: "I have edited the imaginations of people not yet born." and "I wasn't put in a lunatic asylum. I created a lunatic asylum." Norman Rodway portrays the insanity of Hitler with painfully acute skill. There is no daylight in the film except as it flickers second-hand in documentary footage of the Third Reich. One might continue to brood over the problem of Hitler, except that built into the script is the clue that to brood over Hitler creates a type of 1000-year Reich in his behalf.

The take-home offer: know what madness looks like, and never to be betrayed by it. Here, the evil of megalomania is shown veiled by the attraction of power. But the viewer is placed behind the veil where the evil is chewing itself up. One disturbing thought: all those kidnapped blonde children in Hell with Hitler. Souls also non-existent? Above all, this is an art(literature/history) film. Gothic drama viewers will likely be disappointed.

an in depth, scary, yet fascinating trip through the mind of Hitler

[Jpileatus · 9/10 · 4 July 2006]

This movie is definitely not for everyone. I just watched it on IFC and felt strangely moved by this work. There are quite a few disturbing images thus the "not for everyone" comment. However, if you believe that life itself is itself, you may perhaps be able to take in what the director was attempting to portray through all the twists and turns of a never denied, man whose sanity was doubtful, lending itself to a tortured person, for indeed he was a person...who inflicted the most selfish, prejudiced, vile, horrific, death, pain, and suffering upon countless souls. His was never the right as it is none of our right to "take" life and I believe the director moved through this piece attempting to portray the fact...for it is a fact, Hitler was a flesh and blood mortal born into this world like the rest of us. His trip through this life became a twisted shard of a soul constantly at war with itself and with humanity. See this movie

Hershey's bizarre vision is provocative, if puzzling

[mlevans · 9 May 2002]

Like a dark demon flapping across the screen, Barry J. Hershey's `The Empty Mirror' takes a fascinating look at the mind of Adolph Hitler. Bizarre, surrealistic and staged more like a play than a movie, Hershey weaveslive scenes of Hitler (Norman Rodway ) looking back at his life, apparently after his death, while 1.) dictating a book, 2.) Reminiscing with former cohorts, and 3.) being analyzed by Sigmund Freud. All the while, newsreel footage of Hitler's glory days is playing in the background.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Hershey weaves an amazing tapestry of cinematic work. Yet it is difficult and ambiguous to interpret. Most likely he intended it to be so. It took two viewings for me to form opinions as to what his take really was on Hitler and his legacy.

Most of the two-hour movie shows Hitler happily lecturing school children, Eva Braun, Joseph Goerbels and Herman Goerring, debating with Dr. Freud and dictating to his typist. All the while, German propaganda films run in the background. I wish I had gotten out my typewriter, to capture some of the soundbite-like quotes Hershey's Hitler made, regarding media and image. Calling himself `the greatest actor in Europe,' he speaks of `playing the fuhrer role,' which, he claims, he later finds to fill a distinct need within the German people's collective psychic.

The carefully choreographed images will make him immortal, he brags. His business has been creating and maintaining an image. This notion is returned to again and again and seems to play a poignant role in the end of the film. Of course Hitler's recognition of and use of film certainly cannot be denied.

Hitler looks back at his life and career as he relaxes with Braun (Camile Soeberg), looks over newsreel footage and model cities with Goebbels (Joel Gray) and Goering (Glenn Shadix) and dictates his book. Of course, from time to time, Freud (Peter Michael Goetz) pops up and begins probing his mind.

It is difficult – especially on first viewing to determine what Hershey is about. If one were forced to miss the last several minutes of the film, it would be easy to believe Hershey is actually defending Hitler. Some unlikely thoughts are put in Hitler's mouth as he reflects on the turn of the tide in Russia in late 1941. He seriously considered calling a worldwide peace conference, Hitler says, or of retiring to spend more time painting! `Let someone else play the Hitler role!' he fumes. This is certainly provocative and original material – as unlikely as these sentiments seem for the man.

As the film progresses, his cohorts and underlings gradually begin to question bits and pieces of Hitler's grand designs. Freud's questions become more penetrating. As the fuhrer's reflections reach the downfall of the Third Reich, he seems to get more defensive – and Rodway visibly ages – in the end looking much older than Hitler was at his death.

Although Hitler and Goering earlier discuss the death totals, opting to pad the numbers to `an even' six million Jews killed, out of 12 million total (They seem inclined to point out that about as many Christians were put to death as were Jews.), Hitler cannot escape the blood on his hands. Eventually a tide of blood, in a very dramatic flurry, busts through the stone walls of his sanctuary and drowns him in a crimson tide.

The movie does not end there, though. It continues with Hitler reflecting more, now quite old and worn down. Finally, in a bizarre scene just before the end, he manages to stick his hands into and through the giant newsreel images on the wall. Apparently in pain and panic, he has to fight to remove his hands. This, again, seems to return to the idea of Hitler being merely a man trapped in a PR image that got away from its creators like a runaway snowball. On first viewing this struck me as reminiscent of the final days of Howard Hughes. Both were old men, once the most powerful (or wealthy) man on earth, now alone, nearly mad, trapped in a projection room with flickering images of his past.

I am not certain whether Hershey is really suggesting this, or if he is merely conjecturing on what excuses Hitler might have tried to use, had he been given a post-life opportunity to defend himself before the world. I was also not certain, on first viewing, of where exactly he WAS during this film. Upon second viewing, though, I have to conclude that this is Hell. The earlier stages, in which Hitler felt invigorated (`It feels GOOD to be writing again!) and confident, perhaps, served only as a vehicle to revive him from the madness at the time of his death. This, then allowed him to extol his beliefs in full confidence, only to have the ambiguities gradually pointed out and the rug eventually yanked from under him. He must be made to realize his errors before his actual time in Hell can begin, perhaps. Certainly the closing shot, while sticking to the cinematic theme, gives a Hellish feel to it.

Whatever one's take on the film, it is impressively and stylistically done. Almost surrealistic to the extent of `Dr. Caligari,' it is wonderfully edited by Marc Grossman and makes great use of Wagner and other appropriate classical music.

Rodway turns in a strong performance as Hitler. It took me a few minutes, the first viewing, to accept him AS Hitler, since the resemblance is so slight. Later, as the aged, white-haired Hitler, he bears an uncomfortable resemblance to comic Steve Martin. In some shots, though, he looks uncannily like Hitler. Appearances aside, and discounting the slight English accents with which both he and Goering speak, he is most convincing.

Gray is outstanding as Goebbels, the twisted propaganda genius and Shadix and Goetz are solid in their roles. Soeberg is perfect as Eva Braun. The backdrops are unusual and intriguing and the cinematography by Frederick Elmes is outstanding. However one interprets this dark masterpiece, it is definitely a film to watch.

An Excellent Film

[gte238h · 10/10 · 30 August 2000]

Well I see people are po'ed because this film doesn't get all preachy about how "Hitler is evil". Well come on, there are countless films that talk about the holocaust and such, this film is unique in that it is trying to explain Hitler from HIS POINT OF VIEW. It is a very interesting film and a must view for any historian interested in the WW2 era. I'm sure many will disagree if it is an accurate portrayal of Hitler or not, but that should be an interesting debate.

Oh yes and Norman Rodway gives one of the best 'one man' acting performances I've ever seen. 8/10

Fascinating, and horrifying

[tonylaird · 10/10 · 27 February 2007]

I am a WWII buff, and you can't be a WWII buff without having some fascination with Adolf Hitler. Most movies you see vilifies him, and certainly, there is plenty to villifry, but it's hard to find anything that analyzes the man for what makes him up, that is exactly what this movie does. This wonderful work looks at Hitler from his own eyes, giving a unique look at the man, his ideals, and his motivations from his own perspective. It never makes Hitler look like a "hero" though, which is certainly a delicate balance when looking a the man from his own eyes, if anything, it is what makes the movie terrifying in seeing just how fine the line is between genius and insanity - what could this man have accomplished if he had taken his drive toward humanity instead of world conquest? The movie uses actual German propaganda and war clips behind Hitler talking about his drive and motivation to provide a surrealistic horrifying image, and does a wonderful job of showing his cross from that line of insanity/genius. You can't possibly be a student of the world we lived in during WWII without considering Adolph Hitler's part in it, and you can't understand exactly what the world faced until you understand the man behind it. If you are a student of the world of WWII, you must see this movie!

I didn't leave my chair!

[Sandy_BE · 10/10 · 14 June 2003]

A friend recommended this film as a psychological study of Hitler. I felt the filming along with the juxtaposition of scenes and the overlapping of scenes to be superb. The way the actor playing Hitler was examining the films (as Hitler, of course) to what? Give a better speech or perfect his arm salute? Why didn't he want people to see him having fun? How could one man bring an entire country to his side by, in his speeches, always yelling? I noticed the faces of the people in the crowd scenes and they are smiling. Hitler certainly wasn't a benevolent person so why did Germany follow him? When the film reel started to unravel, I knew he would too. He was so concerned about the "pure" Germans, yet he was dark and born in Austria. An excellent film!

Devastating

[chiefwhitebronco · 8/10 · 9 August 2001]

There are many ways to portray Hitler. One is to trivialize him by making him funny ("The Producers," "The Great Dictator"). Another is simply to pronounce him "evil, and that's all you need to know about him." Those who do the latter are doing a great disservice to themselves, because in order to prevent another Hitler, another Third Reich, we must allow ourselves to get inside the head of this megalomaniac who, along with killing 6 million Jews (well, 5.7 million according to the movie Hitler) and 5.5 million "people of Christian origin," turned the most civilized country in Europe into a nation of barbarism, then into a ruin.

"The Empty Mirror" parallels the Third Reich in that it shows Hitler, dictating his memoirs in Hell, gradually disintegrating both emotionally and physically as he confronts the enormity of his horrific actions.

Yes, this movie would be considered politically incorrect by some for not portraying Hitler as a two-dimensional monster, all fire and brimstone, but showing that he had actual human emotions, had fallen in love with a facade of his own (and Dr. Goebbels) creation, and learning that once the facade was demolished, what lived behind it was a puny, cowardly man.

Acting was terrific on all counts. Rodway, although physically far more imposing than the Fuhrer, did an excellent job as his character alternated between lucidity and madness. Joel Grey was a splendid Dr. Josef Goebbels, a sarcastic smart-ass who was perhaps the world's first spin doctor. The Eva Braun character was both sweet and pathetic as Hitler's airheaded mistress, then wife, who wanted nothing more than attention from him. But most frightening were the little blond Deutsche Kinder who were mesmerized by Onkel Adolf, in the same way that 70 million Germans were during the 12 years of the Thousand Year Reich.

In one of the more revealing moments of the film, Hitler belittles Stalin, saying the latter will be simply a blip on the radar screen of life (I'm paraphrasing). He, of course, was right. Stalin may have killed more, and the KGB certainly matched the Gestapo in cruelty, but Russia was and is a nation where human life is cheap. Germany was not and is not, except for those 12 years.

While this isn't easy viewing, and requires some knowledge of history, it should be required viewing in high school Modern European History courses, along with "Schindler's List" and "Judgment at Nuremberg." If we understand Hitler, and how he was able to mesmerize 70 million otherwise highly intelligent people, then history will be far less likely to repeat itself.

Bad Rap

[charlatan · 9/10 · 10 July 2000]

EM got a bad rap from a handful unsympathetic critics. Despite some rather empty philosophical tropes, the concept was entirely unique and, furthermore, succeeded in what it set out to do. Norman Rodway's performance is excellent. There are a number of subtleties -- allusions, metaphors -- that supplement the film quite well.

...hrm.

[DistortedEvolution · 10/10 · 23 November 2004]

While I am not an exact History major. Nor am I quite a Hitler freak or anti-Indie movies.

I found myself wraped around the dialog of the movie. The dialog may seem pretentious to others, but I found it quite original. Yes, the Frued thing was gimmickal, but it wasn't necessarily a bad one.

It was a light movie, fictional in nature. Slight tongue-in-cheek humor, with more than a handful of decent famous quotes you've heard over the years.

All in all I think when people bad mouth this movie, or call it crap. They forget what real bad film making is.

This movies deserves a view.

Just watched this GEM of a movie

[wetteniram · 10 April 2001]

As I am reading some of the reviews, I begin to realize that this masterpiece is not for the unsophisticated who draws a blank at symbolism. It also would not hurt to have read some of the more comprehensive works on the subject such as J. Toland's `Hitler' to understand the making and the pathologies of this sometimes gentle monster. There are so many outstanding moments in this film. Like when Hitler tallies up the murdered Jews and comes up slightly short of six mio., then trivializes it by claiming the other side is always embellishing. The illuminated part where he stands in the light beam of his projector directing Handel's Messiah. Yes, he is the creator! The phallic symbol of shattered mirror he holds up. Yes, there was a problem with potency. Finally his jailer becoming himself. And his last act to immerse into the tunnel and into the light, cleverly staged through the light beam of the projector. Frustratingly clawing entry into the projection. No, he is not permitted entry. His pained face shows utter torment and eventually takes on the image of a distorted mask against a black background. Norman Rodway as Hitler did a fantastic and believable portrayal of Hitler. No, he is not the spitting image of the egomaniac, but remember looks can be deceiving!

Terrific film on Hitler - blood and dreams

[lorenzoestevez · 9/10 · 16 February 2018]

One of the best films ever made on Hitler - his psychotic rage, dreamstate, past projections - weird nazi henchmen coming and going - great film. I recommend to watch...

We created an empty mirror filled with hate

[roadracer4 · 9/10 · 11 November 2009]

Let me first say this movie is not for everyone, it is definitely an art film. Being such it will probably not appeal to people who are not film buffs.

Tbis film basically attempts to portray Hilter's mindset and for the most part it succeeds. The film basically takes place with Hitler in hell self reflecting on his past deeds. Does he regret anything? Would he change anything? Does he feel remorse for the actions his warped mind caused? This is basically what this film examines. Essentially a filmed stage play, the actors essentially comment or interact with nazi propaganda films or war footage.

This film is for the most part very well acted. Norman Rodway performs chillingly as Hitler and the supporting cast does an excellent job too. Most of the lines Hitler speaks in the film were taken directly from Hitler's speeches or writings.