Vanessa Lapa's fascinating biographical documentary, which looks at the private life of Heinrich Himmler, chief of Hitler's black-uniformed SS elite corps and a major architect of the Final Solution in which Jews were exterminated in concentration camps, draws on journals and correspondence recovered after the war. Actors read sometimes-astounding passages against a backdrop of vintage/archival footage (Leni Riefenstahl's being the most recognizable). The young Himmler, who harbored a loathing of Jews, Slavs, and homosexuals, aspired to fight for the Fatherland in the Great War but was disappointed. He would trade treacle-laced love letters with his bride (which did not stop him from taking a mistress during WWII), exhort German scientists to perfect a method of easy mass-sterilization for Jewish women, and commend himself and the SS for remaining fundamentally "decent" throughout the arduous and psychologically draining work of operating death factories and overseeing executions. Aside from a few title cards, all statements here come from Himmler, a despicable villain who is blitzkrieged through his own words. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)
The Decent One
(2014) 96 min. In German w/English subtitles, DVD: $29.95 (avail. from most distributors, Mar. 31), $349 w/PPR (avail. from www.kinolorberedu.com). DRA. Kino Lorber. Volume 30, Issue 2
The Decent One
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