Stills from Hitler is back.
The flames of hell have never been extinguished
(Original title)
China NewsWeek film critic | Yang Shiyang
WeChat public number: Million Zhuang's little stars
This hit "Hitler is Back" is perhaps the most distinctive crossover scene. In fact, it takes courage for Germany to make such a film, after all, Hitler is an overly special and sensitive symbol in Germany's own history, as well as even in human history. It is a matter of great risk to let him travel back to contemporary Germany, through his eyes and words and deeds, to see the reality, problems and hearts of contemporary Europe. But the film doesn't stop at the gimmicky level of the subject matter, but in an atmosphere of gags, it touches on many practical issues in contemporary German and European society.
Hitler suddenly woke up on the greenery next to an ordinary house, dressed in military uniforms and still with the roar of bombs and machine guns still in his head, but he turned his head to see several children playing football, who looked at him foolishly. There was silence on the road, not to mention the sound of killing, not even loud noises. The man began his wanderings in confusion, people regarded him as a street imitation show artist, tourists from all over the world held up their mobile phones to take pictures with him, some people were surprised, some people despised, some people were confused, but more people were happy, people entertained all this, even if the latter was a well-known war criminal, a symbol described as a demon, but this did not affect people's enthusiasm for consuming him. This scene became the first ironic entrance.
Hitler, who was still alive in contemporary Germany, met a failed television reporter, and they collaborated on a travel-style shoot, Hitler became an interviewer, asking many strange questions with his strange thinking, sometimes ridiculous, sometimes thought-provoking, and he also explained his ideas to people, and strangely, his crazy ideas received widespread echoes and feedback in contemporary Europe, and then this strange man was invited to the guest seats of various reality shows and news programs, and talked about his concept of the country. Suddenly, it was discovered that something had been ignited by this eloquent and extremely demagogic man.
The interesting thing about the film is that it uses pure fiction and even absurdity to delve into real problems that are not usually easy to talk about, such as people's differences about racial contradictions, such as the social problems caused by the recent influx of refugees who have been particularly obvious in Europe, such as the laziness of the welfare state, whether more restrictive force is needed, and so on. Some of this is limited by the cultural pressures of political correctness, while others are due to the inertia of the long run, and people can't find a way to talk about it, or feel that even if they do, it will be ineffective. And the sudden arrival of this image of a war maniac has become an icebreaker, he has no scruples about speech, and while shocking the world, he has also punctured a lot of things that people have been hiding.
Initially, people thought of all this as a kind of "theatrical arrangement", and it was always felt that this person must be a super imitation show actor, and he just used this way to entertain people and think. But then the downcast journalist discovered the truth and learned that he was the real Hitler. He felt terrified and decided to kill him.
That conversation on the rooftop becomes the most fundamental core of the film. "Are all monsters?" They are nothing more than ordinary people. But they elected me. Hitler said so. The reporter shot again and again, but Hitler was resurrected again and again, and the magic scene of the play in this play was actually almost the director jumping out to make a direct lyrical comment. This kind of worship of the right to set the wheel, the worship of the strong, is rooted in our hearts, will always go to the extreme at some time, the foundation to the extreme has not been lost, but suppressed, when some problems emerge, people do not know the direction, the strong people will always have the opportunity to regroup, the disaster of history is not just accidental, it actually has a deep human foundation.
The reason why this work can be widely discussed is that it not only presents a serious story in an absurd way, but more importantly, it still returns to the vigilance of a serious work at the end, and it still exudes critical utility like a cautionary tale.
Hitler once again became the celebrity of the era, surrounded by fans, popular with followers, and almost began to copy everything that was then. But the man who tried to kill Hitler was held in a mental hospital.
The director did not want to explain his ideas more subtly, but explicitly gave people a warning. How people once fell into confusion is still likely to be lost again. Because before everything got out of hand, it looked so orderly, so wonderful, so hopeful. What's more, today, all this shouting for the power of the cluster is also studded with entertainmentist lace, which will make people feel that everything is not so dangerous. But in the last scene, when the man with the straight face sits in the convertible car and patrols the streets, do you feel a chill? ★
This article was first published in China News Weekly, No. 755
Disclaimer: The publication of the article of China News Weekly shall be authorized in writing
