Last Days Of The Nazis

I was bitterly disappointed by this video because it does not -- as it claims -- show the viewer the original interrogations of the Nazi leaders listed in the foregoing description. Unfortunately, the beginning statement that this documentary is "based on the original interviews" is impossible to know since what we are shown is English language re-enactments these interviews.The Amazon description given led me to believe this video was the source films of these interviews with the Nazis speaking for themselves -- however this is not the case at all. Instead we are shown films from that era with various narrators doing one more re-telling of how Germany started WWII. These lengthy scenes, while interesting, do not use the original source material, instead we have various historians talking about the rise and fall of the Third Reich. At odd intervals we see actors portraying the Nazis but they are speaking in English so it's impossible to tell how accurate this DVD is.Based on the Amazon description I believed I would be watching the original interviews with subtitles for those who don't speak German. So I was very much looking forward to hearing these people in their own words but there is so little of this as to be pointless. Even in the few cases where a Nazi is shown speaking a sentence or two the background music made it impossible for me to hear what they were saying.Also, this DVD was rendered into 70 millimeter (widescreen) format which means the producers took the original 35 millimeter film and cut off the top/bottom of the films in order to make it appear to be 70 millimeter film. Therefore at least 30% of the original films were cut out to accomplish this.This DVD is a good history for those seeking to learn about Nazi Germany but they are still more entertainment than they are history.

I think this is somewhat of a rehash of commonly available information. The dramatization isn't bad but ...I was expecting more information and less 'entertainment' value. It is kind of hard to see the actual 'entertainment' given the material.

If you are looking for an account of how World War II was lost in the fields of battle you want find it in this two DVD set. After the war there were still millions of Nazis in Germany. This is about how the US and others went about handling the problem of taking these millions of Nazis who many had been taught the Nazis way of life from childhood back into humans who could see the world beyond the so called glory of Germany as taught by Hitler. It was not an easy task, but some how it was accomplished, but it took years. Why I was never taught this in school or college for that matter is hard to understand for the end of fighting was the start of another war. Do away with the Nazis belief system. All in all it was accomplished with great success. By that I don't mean all Nazis were converted however what was left and they were small in the end for the most part went underground. It is a well made story of real history that most of us never hear about and it is worth the watch. To learn more about the end of World War II and what took place all over the earth there is a set of CDs, The World At War. They will give you the complete story. I would have loved to had this set of CDs, The World At War, years ago.

Detailed description, archival recordings.

Wonderful production. Great history displayed in a dramatic way that showcases this important moment in history. I was very pleased with this product. A great tool for History classes or anyone who is a World War 2 buff, which I am. I thought this was one of the better documentaries on the Trials of Nazi's.

ww buff

This is a very good documentary focusing on the Nazis and their incomprehensible mindset that would lead them to so much evil. Thru the investigations done at the Nuremberg Trials, we see recreations of interviews done with the Germans and told in their own words. As a history/WWII buff, I'd say this film doesn't tell us anything 'new' about the Nazi atrocities--it just tells us 'more' about their mindset and justifications. Told in a slow, simmering, style I found it riveting.

This is the first Amazon review I have ever written, and I feel compelled to review this DVD set because of the disappointment I felt when I watched it all. I own all of the major DVD products of this genre and I must say a few things: It seemed to me that most of the presentation (obviously made for TV) wasted time in the theatrics of setting up the stage for the few (and I mean few) people that were reviewed. Most all of the facts and conclusions could have been conveyed in a much shorter and more efficient time frame. Many scenes were repeated in subsequent segments. At the end of it all, I wonder why they chose the men and women they did to examine. I think Göring, Kaltenbrunner and Ley would have been interesting.

Top class service. Recommended.

[b]Last Days Of The Nazis[/b] - 7 out of 10.A&E flubbed the potential of this documentary. Worth watching, yet suffering from certain documentary cliches which were totally unnecessary. The producers of this 3 part series - which was seemingly really a string of 20 broadcast minute (?) episodes knitted together - endeavour to present Nazis and their psychologies via Allied audio interviews conducted at war`s end, bookended by historian commentary.A&E (now owning the History channel) plunders the tired old tactic of reintroducing the premise of the series at the start of every one of those 20 minute episodes. Considering a run time of 255 minutes, this manages to eat up a great deal of show time.The far larger issue is how a production boasting Nazis in their own words manages to utilize so very little of them. The whole point of the production is to let viewers hear perpetrators and participants speak about events and their roles in them. One would think this warrants an albeit selected span of actual audio testimony followed by historical opinion (from experts). Instead, although of course presented, producers begin with actual audio in German with subtitles, segueing into re-enactments in english, the subject of the interview in a chair speaking into our camera. Many segments of interview are repeated from one mini episode to the next, which again wastes valuable time. When first introduced, each Nazi has a dossier - their pictures upon the actual documents are altered to match the actor re-enacting the interview! That is absurd and regrettable.It would have been far more powerful to let the raw **ACTUAL** German play, with sub-titles, preserving/presenting the inflections, accents, and emotions or lack thereof of the subjects, uninterrupted for a lengthy span. Then follow that up with the appropriate historical fact-based dissection and discussion of the utterances by experts (whose participation is welcome). And you sure as HELL show their real mugshots.Good but typical over-produced A&E.

A very well done documentary that runs just under 300 minutes and consists of re-enactments of interviews from Nazi captives, historical clips and input from subject matter experts. There are 18 different interviewees that include some well-known Nazis e.g. Albert Speer; Rudolf Hoess; Melita Maschmann and those that are lesser known e.g. Armin Lehmann; Mathias Shenck. Their perspectives range from those that were essentially indoctrinated to Nazi beliefs from a young age, to those that were anti-Semitic fanatics and finally those that were ambitious and willing to do anything to rise through the ranks. Most disturbing is the description of the conduct of Oskar Dirlewanger during the Warsaw Uprising - hard to believe that a person existed whose actions were considered too reprehensible not only by other Nazis but also by the SS.Another documentary that I would recommend and that wold be complementary to this one is called Voices from Hitler's Army.

Very good movie

Good documentary.

yuk

This was a disturbing documentary. It shows what can happen to any individual and in this case a whole nation when memorized by an ideology and a madman as their ultimate leader.