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In my opinion the commentary thus far on the mini-series has done well in pointing out historical oversights and the like. However, I'm very interested in the network's refusal to air the program in some areas of the U.S. because of its "humanization" of Hitler. I'm wondering what the other list members think of such an assertion. Personally, I thought "Hitler: The Rise of Evil" effectively established the Fuehrer as the (I hate to use the word) "Other", thus comfortably separating the human "us" from the inhuman Hitler. For example, the scene at Gerlich's home where Hitler viciously lashes out at Fritz spewing out cake crumbs and spit like a frothing lunatic seemed a bit extreme. The focal point of this scene is Hitler's face, or more precisely the large crumbs stuck to his lips, which depict him as rabid and seemingly animalistic. Perhaps a clever foreshadowing of the rabidity of Hitler's anti-Semitism, nonetheless the dichotomy such scenes create is problematic because it simplifies the complexities of the time period allowing the general audience to view Hitler and Nazism as anomalous, something that would have never happened here, or worse yet, something that could never happen again. Mark Cole
 Humanities & Social Sciences Online 
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