Hitler: The Rise of Evil - Plot

Plot

The opening of the film shows us a montage of Adolf Hitler's life from the years 1899-1907. The 10-year old Hitler (Thomas Sangster) is shown to be arrogant and disobedient. He has a stern, ill-tempered father, Alois Hitler (Ian Hogg), and a doting mother, Klara Hitler (Stockard Channing), who indulges his dreams of becoming a great artist. One day, his father dies of a heart attack but the young Hitler shows no empathy or concern. Several years later, a 17-year old Hitler (Simon Sullivan) applies unsuccessfully to the Vienna Arts Academy but is told he lacks the talent to become an artist. Following his mother’s death, he moves to Vienna permanently but is unable to find work and soon becomes destitute and homeless. Influenced by the city’s prevalent anti-semitism, young Hitler becomes convinced that the Jews and immigrants are to blame for his misfortunes.

In 1914, the now adult Hitler (Robert Carlyle) leaves Austria for Munich and joins the Germany army to fight in the First World War. After surviving a major battle, he is promoted to the rank of Corporal but his intense fanaticism and virulent anti-semitic and anti-Marxist rhetoric make him unpopular with the other soldiers, who routinely ridicule and ostracise him. After Hitler displays bravery during one particular battle, he emotionally blackmails his Jewish commanding officer into awarding him an Iron Cross, claiming to be the only soldier in the regiment to defend him against anti-semitism. During the last days of the war, when Germany is in retreat, Hitler is blinded by a gas attack and is recovering in a hospital when, he learns that the German Army has surrendered in the war. Hearing the news, he suffers an emotional breakdown, regains his eyesight and vows to dedicate his life toward reversing the outcome of the war.

Hitler returns to Munich in 1919 to find it in the midst of political revolution. Still employed by the army, he is assigned to report on the activities of the newly formed political parties in the city. After attending a meeting of the German Worker’s party, he is recruited by the party’s leader, Anton Drexler (Robert Glenister), to give speeches and organise its propaganda activities. Hitler’s speeches repeat the same themes over and over: that Germany has been betrayed by the leaders who surrendered in the last war as well as the Communists, Jews and immigrants who are destroying the country from within. Gradually, his popularity as a fiery orator significantly expands the party’s membership and attracts the attention of wealthy entrepreneur, Ernst Hanfstaengl (Liev Schreiber), who encourages Hitler to refine his image and create a symbol for the party - which Hitler does, by cropping his facial hair into his trademark toothbrush moustache, and making the Swastika the party's official emblem, respectively. Hansftaengl also puts Hitler in contact with the city’s elites; among them, decorated war hero, Herman Goering (Chris Larkin); who help the party raise funds, allowing Hitler to buy his own newspaper and hire the SA (Stormtroopers), led by the militant Captain Röhm (Peter Stormare), to act as his personal security and also promote the party in the streets through agitation and violence against political opponents and Jews. The party’s new direction toward the elites and away from its working class roots upsets Drexler, who wants the party to merge with another right wing group, a decision Hitler strongly opposes. Following a tense confrontation, Hitler threatens to resign the party unless Drexler agrees to step down as leader. Drexler acquiesces, and in 1921, Hitler becomes Fuhrer of the newly named National Socialist Party.

In 1923, Germany’s economic situation has worsened and the Bavarian Commissar, Gustav von Kahr (Terence Harvey), bans Hitler from holding rallies, as he believes the party’s agitation is causing further unrest around the countryside. Hansfaengl introduces Hitler to Fritz Gerlich (Matthew Modine), a renowned journalist and Von Kahr’s speechwriter. Hitler hopes he can persuade Gerlich to convince Kahr to accept him as an ally in his government. Gerlich, however, concludes from the conversation that Hitler is an unstable psychopath with a dangerous ideology and warns Kahr that he must be stopped. Kahr tries to outfox Hitler by convincing him that he is preparing to stage a military coup against the national government in Berlin and that Hitler must remain silent or else he can play no part in it. Upon learning that the proposed putsch is merely a ruse and that Kahr has no intention of working with him, Hitler confronts Kahr at gunpoint and coerces him and his associates into supporting his own plan for a putsch. To convince them to side with him, he gains the tacit approval of esteemed military general, Erich von Ludendorrff (Fredrich von Thun). Röhm and the SA plan to take over the military barracks in preparation for a march on Berlin. However, when Ludendorff releases Von Kahr and his associates, they alert the Bavarian Army of Hitler’s plan and the attempted coup is quickly crushed. Hitler takes refuge at the Hanfstaengl’s home, almost resorting to suicide before Ernst’s wife, Helene Hanfstaengl (Julianna Margulies), stops him.

Hitler is promptly arrested by the authorities and put on trial for attempted treason. Much to Gerlich’s horror, who is watching in the stands, Hitler manages to use the trial to his advantage, winning over the audience and the Judge with his courtroom theatrics and compelling speeches, in which he accuses Kahr and the national government, of being the real traitors. Consequently, the Judge awards him a lenient sentence of nine months imprisonment, during which Hitler writes his memoirs (later published as Mein Kampf), assisted by his secretary, Rudolph Hess (James Babson). After his release from prison, Hitler visits the Hansftaegls. Ernst has fallen out of favour with Hitler for abandoning the putsch in order to escape jail time and for refusing to publish Hitler’s memoirs. Their relationship is further fractured when Ernst becomes jealous of Hitler’s affections toward Helene, whom Hitler credits for saving his life by talking him out of suicide after the failed putsch.

In 1925, Hitler goes to the countryside to escape politics. His older step-sister, Angela (Julie-Ann Hastet), and her daughter, Geli Raubal (Jena Malone), come to live with him. Hitler quickly becomes infatuated and protective toward the attractive Geli, and he takes her with him when he returns to Munich to re-unify the party, which has disintegrated into warring factions since his incarceration. Blaming the putsch’s failure on Ludendorff’s incompetence, Hitler declares that the party can no longer rely on military means to achieve power but rather by following a legal, democratic course. He tells the party their task is to win elections, not cause agitation. This declaration puts him into conflict with Röhm, who continues to believe the party’s route to power is through an SA-led coup. Röhm’s refusal to bow to Hitler’s directive strains their relationship. Nonetheless, Hitler’s demand for complete subordination of the party wins the approval of the remaining party leaders, including an impressionable young agitator named Joseph Goebbels (Justin Salinger).

During the late 1920s, as Germany’s economic situation once again worsens, the party’s political fortunes improve, with the National Socialists gaining more and more seats in the Reichstag with each election. Alarmed by the party’s growing popularity, Gerlich proceeds to write articles in opposition to Hitler, inflaming both Hitler and the SA, who attempt to suppress the newspaper through violence and intimidation. The paper’s editor bows to the pressure and fires Gerlich. Gerlich, however, soon forms his own newspaper by covertly using the same publishing house which produces Hitler’s newspapers, knowing that it is the one publishing company Hitler cannot afford to close down. Meanwhile, Geli, who has become distraught by Hitler’s emotionally abusive behaviour and overbearing control over her life, commits suicide with his pistol. Following her death, Hitler becomes acquainted with Eva Braun (Zoe Telford), who soon becomes his live-in lover until she too begins experiencing the same feeling of imprisonment that Geli felt. Eva eventually attempts suicide, but after the attempt fails, Hitler tells her never to do so again as it will interfere with his political ambitions.

In 1932, Hitler becomes a German citizen in order so that he may run for President against incumbent, Paul von Hindenburg (Peter O'Toole). Although he is unsuccessful, the party has become the largest party in the Reichstag, a fact which emboldens Hitler to demand Hindenburg appoint him Chancellor (as no other party can form an absolute majority). Hindenburg, who despises Hitler, instead appoints Franz von Papen and Kurt von Schleicher to the Chancellorship, respectively, but both men fail in their positions as the National Socialists continually use their majority to dissolve each parliamentary session. Left with no other choice, Hindenburg appoints Hitler German Chancellor in 1933. Hitler tells Goering and Goebbels that they must do something drastic to consolidate their hold on power. Thereafter, the Reichstag is mysteriously set on fire, allegedly by a communist, and Hitler uses the incident to persuade the parliament to award him dictatorial powers, which include suspension of civil liberties and suppression of the press. As a consequence, Gerlich's newspaper is shut down and he is arrested by the SA.

Despite Germany becoming a police state under his command, Hitler still feels insecure in his position and believes he must crush all his opponents once and for all. On June 30, 1934 (The Night of the Long Knives), Röhm is arrested for refusing to accept that the SA must be absolved into the German Army rather than remain a separate para-military force. Given the choice by Hitler to commit suicide, Röhm refuses and is shot dead. Gerlich, who has been imprisoned at the Dachau concentration camp, is brutally beaten and murdered, and his wife sent a pair of his bloodied spectacles with no official notice of her husband’s death. Von Kahr, Schelicher and Hitler’s other political enemies are all swiftly ambushed and murdered. Hanfstaengl, who has all but completely fallen out out favour with Hitler, and whose marriage to Helene has become estranged after she has grown closer to Hitler, makes plans to flee Germany and the new regime. Following Hindenburg’s death in August, 1934, Hitler combines the office of President and Chancellor into one – at last making him the absolute ruler of Germany.