Dr. Feelgood

Rating: 4/10 (28 December 2004)

Usually I don't write a comment. Especially not when it's a good movie, because everybody sees something slightly else in it. But since I'm quite outraged about this one, I needed to write something. Hitler with human traits, sure I can see that. Fair enough, this makes it all the more worrying, if he's human, we all are able to make the same horrific mistakes. Great acting performances by basically everyone. No problem there. But.... Hitler and Goebbels are the two rotten apples in the basket the movie seems to be telling us. And Goebbels (the brilliant intellectual who re-invented propaganda) is depicted as a loyal moron dog. Ein "voll-idiot" as they may say in German. The rest of the bunker crowd are either loyal but stupid, or realists who have cowardice as their biggest vice. The last ones are all depicted as people who want to talk some sense in this raving megalomaniac, as people who want to save the German population, but in the end were not able to stand up against big uncle Adolf. They meant so well after all.... To me, it came across as a feel-good movie, there were 2 madman (and a couple of loyal wives and secretaries), but the rest wasn't so bad after all, really. We can all go to bed safely now. Sure, a lot of Germans (most probably, in fact)were not responsible for the atrocities that went on, but to claim the same for the bunker crowd is stretching it. They too were human, bound to make mistakes, yes, but here most of them are almost angel material, cowardly angels, stupid angels, but nevertheless...........a sad, very sad story indeed....