Inside the Third Reich Box Set

"Inside the Third Reich'


A Boxed Set


Amos Lassen


First Run Features brings us a boxed set of astonishing documentaries about Nazi Germany that give insight into the demented mind of the Third Reich. Also included is amateur film footage of Germany in ruins.
The collection is made up of four films that probe the most disgraceful period in the history of the world and that give insight into how it all came to happen.
"Television Under the Swastika" examines television and how it was used in the second World War as a source of propaganda and as entertainment. It is an amazing look at an industry that many think was begun in America but that, in actuality, was used not only as a medium for entertainment but as a way to poison minds.
"The Goebbels Experiment" looks at the way Joseph Goebbels manipulated mass political opinion thus making Nazi propaganda to become the most terrifying in history. There is no commentary as it is not necessary. The diaries of Goebbels speak for themselves and the film is a reminder that manipulating minds is the most critical goal of society.
"Firestorm" deals with the losses of aircraft during attacks on German factories in order to ruin German morale and cut down the number of workers available to go into the Nazi war machine. Bombers hit Dresden and Hamburg as well as other cities. We look at the question if this was merely revenge against Hitler or was it a necessary tactic. The film contains rare footage and interviews with historians and pilots that were involved.
"The Reich Underground" looks at one way the Nazis tried to bring the war back to their favor by building an extensive tunnel system in order to take care of factories and Nazi leaders. This was a way to produce new weapons with which the Nazis hoped to use to become victorious. Eventually these tunnels were sealed off by the American army and they are reopened here. We see previously unreleased film and listen to interviews and we see a world that was created beneath the earth.

Excellent film footage seldom seen and then footage seen often blended together with a fresh view. Excellent narration. The focus of this series of DVDs is on topics usually explored briefly in other documentaries. This series serves to focus and then present an indepth representation.

For those interested in something more than an overview of isolated topics. The Goebbels Experiment is a narration developed from his diary. The focus on Goebbels helps in placing the Reich players in their respective hierarchial order. Notwithstanding none of this history needs repeating, the study of the Third Reich remains a confusing abomination and each perspective adds information albeit no additonal understanding of why enough never seems to be enough.

While I was disappointed that this was not the ABC Circle Films mini series, "Inside the Third Reich", the story of Albert Speer's role in the third reich, I was pleasantly surpised by the four documentries that were included in the set. I would have been even happier had it been the Rutger Hauer mini series. I guess it pays to wait for the description before ordering. I'll have dig out my laser discs and player and make my own dvd version, until Disney decides to issue the mini series on dvd.