Product Review

The Apotheosis of Nazi Cinema

Conceived as Nazi Germany s answer to Gone with the Wind, this was Joseph Goebbels last and most defiant cinematic manifesto. Filmed over late 1943 and 1944, Kolberg drew upon the historical resistance of East Prussian townsmen against Napoleon in 1807 in arguing its case for total war against the Allies. Its bone-jarring climax, showing Kolberg bombarded into rubble and flames by French artillery fire, unmistakably evokes Allied bombing raids across Germany at the time. Even as the Nazi regime was entering its last phases, it devoted lavish resources to staging Kolberg s spectacular battle scenes, detonating tons of explosives and diverting thousands of Wehrmacht soldiers from the front. Released amidst the chaos of early 1945, Kolberg was shown in a handful of Germany s still intact movie houses; today this apotheosis of the Nazi cinema survives as National Socialism s final statement to posterity. This new DVD edition represents a vast improvement over previous existing versions, featuring improved subtitles, restored sound and a painstaking restoration of the original Agfacolor in all its temperamental glory. Directed by Veit Harlan. Germany, 1945, Color, 118 min., English subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

· Scene Selections
· Photo Gallery with Audio Commentary
· Bonus Material: Goebbels 1943 Total War Speech Newsreel
· Actors Biographies
· Digitally Restored and Remastered
· Illustrated Essay Booklet "Kolberg:The Apotheosis of Nazi Cinema"