I’ve had an interest in World War II since a young age. As a consequence of this interest, I’ve seen many TV documentaries on the subject. A great many of the documentaries I’ve watched are focused on Adolf Hitler. In my estimation, none of the documentaries about Hitler have ever done a satisfactory job of explaining what made him tick and how he got started. The genesis of his rise to power usually gets glossed over. We are told over and over that he was a World War I vet, and that he was imprisoned where he wrote Mein Kempf (sp.?). We are also told that he took advantage of the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles, the economic depression and people’s anti-semetic views to gain a following around the city of Munich. For the most part, that’s as in depth as the information gets. It never gets to the root cause of how a mad man gets started. Was he always a mad man? I mean obviously he wasn’t as mad as the bums you see talking to themselves on park benches. When did he cross the line? What made him snap? What could lead a man down the path that Hitler was destined to take? It all seems so inconceivable. I’m sure there have been plenty of books written on the subject that perhaps answer my questions but I’ve never picked one up.
Last night, I watched the movie “Max” released by Lions Gate Films in 2002 starring John Cusack. The movie portrays Hitler’s relationship with a Jewish art dealer in Munich at the end of World War I. I don’t know if the script is taken from the historical record, or if it’s a complete fabrication. It doesn’t matter. For the first time I’ve feel like I’ve been given a plausible explanation for all of my questions. What had never made sense to me, now does. For this reason, I give the film thumbs up.