'HITLER' RARELY TAKES RISKS.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic ADOLF HITLER beat a dog. As if we needed more evidence that the German dictator who started World War II and killed 6 million Jews was a bad guy, ``Hitler: The Rise of Evil'' offers up this foreboding nugget Nugget A 15 year Gold FHLMC (Freddie Mac) bond; similar to a Dwarf. while depicting his undistinguished un·dis·tin·guished adj. 1. a. Marked by no peculiar quality; not distinguished; ordinary: an undistinguished appearance. b. service during World War I. It may or may not be true - different historical sources offer different perspectives on Hitler's animal-treatment policies - but at least it's sure to convert any animal lovers who were straddling the fence on the Hitler: OK or Evil issue. ``Hitler: The Rise of Evil'' is a sober, meticulously observed production that offers a glimpse at a portion of Holocaust history that dramatists haven't examined closely enough - the years of his ascent within Germany's political system. It's a fascinating question: How did someone this deeply disturbed and fetid fetid /fet·id/ (fe´tid) (fet´id) having a rank, disagreeable smell. fet·id adj. Having an offensive odor. fetid having a rank, disagreeable smell. with hatred manage to rise to the pinnacle of power? The miniseries offers a sort of compressed step-by-step guide to how Hitler (Robert Carlyle, who will strike some as terrifyingly galvanizing galvanizing, process of coating a metal, usually iron or steel, with a protective covering of zinc. Galvanized iron is prepared either by dipping iron, from which rust has been removed by the action of sulfuric acid, into molten zinc so that a thin layer of the zinc and others as simply over-the-top) swallowed the tenets of anti-Semitism and then exploited them, manipulating political processes and usurping powers that weren't technically his. But it's history re-created fussily, fastidiously, afraid of a trenchant point of view. Matthew Modine is fine and understated as Fritz Gerlich, a principled journalist who decried Hitler's politics (though Gerlich existed, he serves here as something of a composite of many journalists who rejected the politics of hatred), as are Liev Schreiber and Julianna Margulies as an affluent couple who unite under Hitler's swastika banner, then are torn asunder a·sun·der adv. 1. Into separate parts or pieces: broken asunder. 2. Apart from each other either in position or in direction: The curtains had been drawn asunder. by it. Peter O'Toole acts up a storm as German President Paul Hindenberg, the final obstacle between Hitler and the Holocaust. After facing much controversy when the project was announced, ``Hitler: The Rise of Evil'' is an odd bird: a politically correct politically correct Politically sensitive adjective Referring to language reflecting awareness and sensitivity to another person's physical, mental, cultural, or other disadvantages or deviations from a norm; a person is not mentally retarded, but depiction of one of history's most politically reprehensible figures. The film goes out of its way to be inoffensive in portraying the rise to power of the 20th century's most offensive individual. It's certainly valuable for schools looking for a dramatic way to present this material, but it's a bit antiseptic for adults seeking real insight into how evil prevails. HITLER: THE RISE OF EVIL - Three stars What: Miniseries on the Nazi dictator's ascent to power in Germany, starring Robert Carlyle. Where: CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. . When: 9 tonight and Tuesday. In a nutshell: Solid, stolid stol·id adj. stol·id·er, stol·id·est Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; impassive: "the incredibly massive and stolid bureaucracy of the Soviet system" work. |
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