I've seen & heard aged Nazis (or their witnesses) - speak on film. However dry, actual Nazi talk and operations data is more POTENT than this gushing "feelings about Hitler" production."Our Hitler..." is the extreme example of 1970'stoo much talk too little action self absorption (every word we blather out should be preserved- every idea however tangential and unfocused - is precious to preserve ...) film work - but there are still nuggets of visual and verbal power in this way way way way way way way way way way way way way way way too long film. Near the end (for one of a zillion examples of This Film wandering far far far far off the main point - i.e. Hitler & co) you hear a diatribe about the camera,and its ability to communicate, including a quote from early 20th century film star...they then quote Mary Pickford!!! Mary Pickford (who has nothing to do with Naziism that I ever heard of) ....and you wonder - Mary Pickford??? mentioned in a film which is supposed to be about "our Hitler".This film has the grotesque tone/imagery also seen in - CABARET. But the host of Cabaret (played by Joel Grey), tho corrupt, ...doesn't commit the sin in this film of - boring you to death.The second half of this 7 hour - film cure for insomnia - is slightly more interesting than the first half. ...tho the large Hitler puppet, the stuffed dog doll with a Hitler face, and "Tales of Hoffman" type of scenery .........................are distracting. (Makes me wonder if someone was smoking an illegal substance while writing this script!)But the second half has some potent quotes from some key Nazis themselves. The quote about Himmler's desire to MILITANTLY enforce his animal protection legislation caught me for a bit, anyway. THAT would have been a potent spot for grotesque images...!EDIT IT! CUT IT IN HALF!

Susan Sontag called this film "the most extraordinary film I've ever seen". This may seem like a hyperbolic statement, but after seeing this film, I see where Susan was coming from. This really is an extraordinary film, and I completely understand Sontag's adoration of it. This is a brilliant film, one that has had me thinking for days about it. I watched it over 2 nights, and there's so much in it and so much to take in that I'm planning on renting it again or perhaps purchasing it. Despite its 7 1/2 hour length, there isn't one dull moment in it. I only watched it over 2 nights because I had to go to sleep. If I had had the time to watch the whole thing in one sitting, I would have done so without thinking. I haven't felt this glued to the screen in I don't know how long.The film is absolutely mesmerizing. This film has been unavailable for many, many years, and this is the first time it's been offered on home video. The director, Hans Jurgen Syberberg, had posted the film on his website, but watching it on a TV or projected is the best way to see it. The film is operatic, theatrical, mind bending, sad, haunting, angry, depressing, and just about everything else you can think of. The 4th part is a little boring (the first 30 minutes of part four is one long monologue), but after this monologue is concluded, the film takes off again to a stunning conclusion. Never does the film feel padded. Like in Wagner's great operas (Wagner figures prominently here), a film like this needs to be long to tell its story, and that should be respected. The actors throughout the film give excellent performances, and the film is one of the most thought provoking films that I've seen in recent memory. This is a filmic masterpiece.

I came across this film by accident whilst trying to locate another German made film and on discovering that the entire 7 hours is available free in real-time I began to watch. Those seven hours flew by and by the end I was left feeling stunned and somehow very insignificant. This is not a film to invite a few pals round for and throw pizza and beer in for good measure. This is a film to watch alone or maybe with someone who is interested in cinema as a means of transcending time and place. The images and audio presentations you will see and hear may well change your perceptions on life itself. Why this film is so little known is a mystery and perhaps it is only for the few and not the masses. It hits a spot somewhere deep inside and nestles in there and will never be entirely removed. See it and understand why 80 million Germans believed Hitler, a maniac, became for many, a god.

Ever try tuning in a far away A.M. station? From another country perhaps, or even in your own language? Well, that just about sums up what seeing this movie is like. Part lecture (especially the last quarter), part play, part performance art, part Howdy Doody, this film rises to your conscious level of thinking at times, only to slip away in the wash of images, radio transcriptions and "creative" presentation (i.e. - acting). Challenging on all levels at all times, the viewer cannot help but feel lost some times and playing catch-up at all times. Good film to see when stranded at home, on the couch, with a fever of one-hundred and three. The fever would definitely be a plus.