The Goebbels Experiment (2004)

95% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(272 ratings)

Joseph Goebbels has often been cited as the man who did the most to help Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rise to power; he was the architect of the party's propaganda machine and helped to craft the public image of Hitler as he became one of the most hated and feared leaders of his time, and… More Joseph Goebbels has often been cited as the man who did the most to help Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rise to power; he was the architect of the party's propaganda machine and helped to craft the public image of Hitler as he became one of the most hated and feared leaders of his time, and masterminded the greatest crime of the 20th Century. However, while Hitler's life outside of politics has long been a subject of interest, less is known about Goebbels, and The Goebbels Experiment is a documentary which draws upon Goebbels' own journals and rare archival to craft a portrait of his private side, including his passion for the Nazi cause, his devotion to Hitler, his battle with depression, his dramatic mood swings, and his severe contempt for anyone who did not live up to his standards. Kenneth Branagh narrates the English language version of the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Lutz Hachmeister
Written By: Kenneth Branagh, Michael Kloft, Lutz Hachmeister
Genres: Documentary, Art House & International, Special Interest

In Theaters: Aug 12, 2005 Wide
On DVD: May 23, 2006

Critic Reviews

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
[A] weirdly enthralling film of excerpts from Goebbels's diaries.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Lutz Hachmeister and Michael Kloft's fascinating documentary provides a chilling glimpse inside the brilliant but toxic mind of Joseph Goebbels via his extensive diaries.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
Kenneth Branagh's fierce narration of Joseph Goebbels's di aries makes The Goebbels Experiment a visceral documentary.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Devoted family man, aspiring poet and petty whiner, the Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels depicted in Lutz Hachmeister's unusual documentary presents a compelling study of the banality of evil.
Derek Elley, Variety
A well-chosen selection of pictures and archival footage, plus some modern sequences in color, concisely sketch the history of Germany during the 21 years Goebbels continuously kept a diary (1924-45).
Joshua Land, Village Voice
The filmmakers largely take Goebbels's injunction against 'aestheticizing experimentation' to heart, eschewing dialectical montage and allowing the clips to merely illustrate the diary entries.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Although the film's conclusion is rushed and unsatisfying, "The Goebbels Experiment" is a priceless document of one of Nazi Germany's cruelest and most effective architects.
Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International
While the diary entries fascinate, it's the rarely seen footage that makes The Goebbels Experiment a must-see.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Something of a historical-publicity experiment, the film should only be played with by those who appreciated Downfall.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
The star power in The Goebbels Experiment comes from Kenneth Branagh, who narrates, but it's the images that take hold.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
A chilling and often illuminating portrait.
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat
What emerges is a view more complex than Goebbels's usual image, without any hint of revisionist excuse-making.
Jordan Hiller, Bangitout.com
It is hard to go wrong when your research turned up reel after reel of Nazi era footage and dozens of audio tapes from the regime.
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly
Director Lutz Hachmeister neatly hoists the Nazi lie on its own petard in this fascinatingly repellent character study of the Third Reich's most visionary and psycho propagandist.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
What's absent from this spiteful, ridiculously melodramatic recitation of grudges and enthusiasms is any sign of either the eloquent orator considered second only to Adolf Hitler himself or the brilliant strategist who wrote the book on perverting public
Shlomo Schwartzberg, Boxoffice Magazine
This intimate look at Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's infamous Propaganda Minister, offers some surprises and a portrait that doesn't quite mesh with the one most people know.
David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
Informative and illuminating.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Cast

Kenneth Branagh
as Narrator (English Version)
Udo Samel
as Narrator (German Version)
Joseph Goebbels

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