Copyright © 2002 by Tony Medley

 I was looking forward to this.  It’s an intriguing idea, examine Adolf Hitler (Noah Taylor) as he was in the year 1918, right after World War I ended and he was still a struggling artist, through the eyes of a fictional art patron, Max Rothman (John Cusack).  Unfortunately, Director/Writer Menno Meyjes butchers the idea and the result is a boring, uninvolving speculation that makes tedium an attractive alternative.

 To understand the mindset that ruined this interesting idea, Meyjes doesn’t have even one car in the movie “because I didn’t want that sort of marker…  I wanted a film that looks like it could play in either 1918 or 2002.”  Well, excuse me.  World War I ended in 1918.  Hitler was a struggling artist in 1918.  What’s wrong with it looking like 1918?  That’s the world in which Hitler lived. This is like saying “I don’t want any bows and arrows shown when I make Robin Hood because I don’t want it to look like the 13^th Century.”

 Noah Taylor contributes an interesting interpretation of Hitler at this stage in his life.  Unfortunately, this seems like a star vehicle for Cusack because he’s the guy who’s on the screen most of the time.  Who cares about the fictional Max Rothman?

 This could have been a fascinating tale.  Instead, it’s a wearisome, lost opportunity.  What a shame.

 December 13, 2002

 The End

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