War of the World

Annette Insdorf should include Moloch in her revision of Indelible Shadows because this is a powerful film that shows us a vision of two of the most important figures in the Twentieth Century, Adolph Hitler and his mistress Eva Braun. This 'Holocaust' film is a vision of power as a moment of suspended time.

The film is based on the relationship between Hitler, and his mistress, Eva Braun in 1942 in an ancient Bavarian castle and the interrelationships with Dr. Josef Goebbels, Martin Bormann, and Magda Goebbels as they all join together for a few days of relaxation.

As the film begins we see a nude woman dancing around on the parapets of some gothic castle at night as telescopes track her in the cross hairs. The woman is Eva Braun (Elena Rufanova), and she is anxious and excited, waiting for her beloved "Adi", Adolf Hitler (Leonid Mosgovoi) to spend a few intimate hours with her. When Hitler arrives he is accompanied by his first officer Martin Bormann (Vladimir Bogdanov), his head of propaganda Joseph Goebbels (Leonid Sokol) and his wife Magda Goebbels (Elena Spiridonova) to spend a few days in rest and recovery. As the days move forward Hitler and Eva are seen to relate in the most human of ways. The two confront obstacles including Hitler's upset stomach, preoccupation with waging a war, and exclusive nature of his immediate staff and Eva's attempt to find common ground on which to communicate with everyone. As Eva eventually breaks through to some emotional level with "Adi", she discovers new truths about the man, and their common needs.
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Released in 1999, this 108-minute film at times seems frozen. Director Alexander Sokurov allows his camera to linger over the face of actor Leonid Mozgovoy in his portrayal of Adolf Hitler. At other times Sokurov's camera photographs mundane everyday activity as if to emphasize the 'ordinary' traits these military leaders possess.

The film is neither light-hearted nor fast paced. This is a film for the viewer who has some strong interest in the psychodynamic between men in power and their personal relationships. The film at times seems to creep along with long takes of faces, seemingly insignificant dinner chatter, or mindless joking.

The significance of seemingly idle moments carry great weight considering what we know about the period 1942 and the Germany's position preceding World War II. It is these scenes which make Moloch a pointed social statement rather than a political one on war.

The film is interesting not because of this relationship per se, but because of what it proposes given the far-reaching power of the genocidal Hitler. This is not a movie about political leaders and their girlfriends, Like Roosevelt and his house maid, or Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, but a theoretical look at how the power of political leaders exists without their ability to function within social structures.

The overall hue and visual tone of Moloch resembles that of some old photographs with the sepia look of some newly discovered historical documents. Sokurov hired Russian actors from St. Petersburg to act in the film, and hired voice-over actors from Berlin for post sound for the characters, further giving the film a sense of detachment.

Sokurov also utilizes certain editing to further create a distancing between the film and the viewer, cutting from extreme wide shots to close up to structure certain scenes. When Hitler meets with the Priest for instance we are given an extreme wide shot of the entrance hall of the fortress of Berchtesgaden as the two sit on a small bench talking.

The Priest (Anatoli Schwederski) asks why Hitler has suspended all Germans form attending church. As Hitler attempts to answer, the camera lingers on his face showing a man considering his answers. After a long look at the leader, the viewer may wonder what he will answer, and shed some light on what was driving him. Hitler begins not answering but railing rhetorical questions toward the Priest about why soldiers are willing to die without a God in their hearts.

The scene is effective because it ends with another wide shot of Hitler dismissing the Priest and walking away, again leaving the viewer with an eye from the heavens (perhaps the uninvolved eye of God?) looking down to consider what has just transpired.

The screenplay won the best script award at Cannes Film Festival in 1999, and I feel that without Sukurov the film might never have been made. The relationships between Hitler, and his wife and his mistress are so nebulous it would be difficult to create an understandable scene from them without the director's own hand.

Consider the exterior scenes of Hitler, and his retinue out for a day's excursion. We are shown long shots of the generals and the women, child-like in their attempts to cast off the burden of responsibility that accompanies power. At some point in the scene we are shown Hitler himself sick to his stomach trying to relieve himself in the outdoors. It is a very human view of a man who otherwise is out of reach to the viewer.

This distance is again repeated in a later scene when Eva tries to get the stolid man to open up to her emotionally. After physically accosting him the only thing that seems to get to man is a repetition of "Hitler", in different incantations, as if the only legacy he can leave without children is his family name.

Along with this DVD is a great addition, an interview with director Sokurov talking about his view of cinema, and his view of this historical period and some of his choices in creating the screenplay, and direction of the film.

Moloch is a sobering film about power and some of the personal driving forces that move all men.

I found this excellent film at Allmovie.com for $11.99, and enjoyed it with a cup of Bigelow Green Tea with Mint.