The Nazi Triple-Bill

One of the most interesting nights I had last year that I never wrote about was my Nazi triple-bill night. I watched Charlie Chaplins' The Great Dictator, (Chaplin plays Hitler and a Jewish barber) then I watched The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl about the life of female director, Leni Riefenstahl who directed the Nazi propoganda film Triump of the Will. And then, finally, I watched the actual film, Triumph of the Will. I only got thru about half of the depressing Triumph of the Will, I can only take so much Nazi propaganda in one night, but still, it was a fascinating evening. Chaplin is a genius, Riefenstahl is complicated, defensive and probably not at all honest and Hitler is...well...Hitler. The Great Dictator is probably my favorite film ever made about war and if you haven't seen it, you must. It was shot in 1940 but it's fresher, funnier and more alive than most films made in the last decade. Thank God for Netflix, I can't imagine any of these films being available at the local Oceanside Blockbuster.