Fatherland (1994)

This retro-futuristic adventure depicts a 1964 in which Hitler won the war and Joe Kennedy Sr. is U.S. president. Europe is known as Germania and opens its borders to American journalists, hoping to line up the U.S. as an ally against Russia. Set design and costumes very effectively create a potent and prosperous state, culled both from imagination and the history books. More downbeat and perhaps more effective than Robert Harris's chilling novel, Fatherland is brought to life by Rutger Hauer as an SS officer who stumbles onto eye-opening secrets. Miranda Richardson is the tough-cookie American caught up in a web of lies made all the more intriguing by a superb supporting cast. They hook up to solve a murder and uncover an atrocity dating back to World War II. Watch for a particularly nasty Jean Marsh in a supporting role; she steals every scene in which she appears. --Rochelle O'Gorman Amazon.com

The Beatles in Nazi Germany.

D-day had failed. Kennedy is president, Joseph sr. that is, not John. Hitler is about to celebrate his 75th birthday. That was all the exposition I needed. It's springtime for Hitler in Germainia. We lost. It is the early 60's & the cold war has taken a hard left turn from what we know happen. The Germans are still fighting the Russians. Hitler wants a peace treaty with The United States. It is about to happen. President Kennedy is coming to Berlin & bringing a lot of reporters. One problem: the Final Solution, what we now know as the Holocaust has never been made public. Any living officials with first hand knowledge are being bumped off. One of these murders becomes public & has to appear to be investigated. SS officer March (Rutger Hauer) is the police detective assigned to sweep it all under the rug. He is a sympathetic Nazi with a conscience & a throughly brain-washed young son. At this point, the SS become the good guys & the Gestapo, as usual the criminals, covering up. An American reporter, Charlie (Miranda Richardson) gets wind of what she sees as the story of her career. Nuff said. The tone & mood of this movie is how victorious, post war, Nazi Germany might have been. A repressive facist regime to be sure but also a bit mellowed. It was made for tv but never even made it to dvd. It is an entertaining alternative history movie. August 25, 2006

Rutger Hauer in a fantastic story

I thought this movie was excellent. The story was really interesting and kind of a "What If" movie as in "What if Germany had won WWII". Rutger Hauer is excellent as the lead character and SS police officer who is investigating a murder in Germania the country that exist now that Germany has defeated Europe in WWII. Joe Kennedy is the president of the United States and their is going to be a summit to end this "cold war". Eager to make peace with the U.S. because of the horrible on going war in on the Russian front, Germany is trying to tie up some embarassing loose ends involving the unkown Holocaust that has been going on against the Jews.

This movie is just an intriquing and clever story with fine acting especially by Rutger Hauer who has only been better in Blade Runner but this is on par with that.
February 6, 2006

What novel is this based on?

Whatever novel this is based on, it sure isn't Robert Harris's. I finished reading the novel minutes before popping in the movie and was surprised to see that the whole thing was rewritten. Hardly a sub-plot remains.

On the whole it's a decent movie, though it shows its made for TV roots and the ending is laughable. January 16, 2006

What happened with the story of the book?

The introduction was excellent: images of a shamefull Eisenhower who felt responsible for not winning the war. Churchill sent in excile to Canada, King Edward en Queen Wallis, Speer's realised buildings in the Reich. The makers used authentical images to create this alternative history and they succeed: it was very convincing.
For the first 30 minutes, the story was allright. The pictures of Nazi-Berlin in the sixties were impressing. But then everything went wrong. There was nothing left of the subtile and tragic plot of the book. I hardly believed my eyes and wondered what Robert Harris himself would think about the rape of his story. What drove the scenariowriters to turn an brilliant story in XXXX like this...? August 23, 2005

So, what if... SS-CSI : Berlin? (((lol)))

First off... I have never read the book, so no
comparisons from me on that point.

I first started watching this movie on HBO back
in the early 90's, but was interupted by visiting
friends and never got back to it. But the first
half hour of what I did see stayed with me enough
to want to search for this movie several years
later.

Viola... Amazon comes through AGAIN!

The movie starts out with some news reel footage
and a voice over explanation of the events that
follow the repulsion of the Allied invasion of
Normandy (remember: this IS a "what if" movie) that
leads to Nazi Germany's victory in Europe and takes
the viewer to the "present"... 1964.

(Note the billboard advertisment for The BEATLES'
first album)

The movie is essentially a crime drama, pure and
simple. Acting is good, attention to "period" detail
is on the money, and the story flows nicely. It is
easy to develope a "feel" for the story line early
on. One soon gets a sense that there is something
deeper and more sinister going on than a "simple"
murder investigation. To say more would give the
plot away. The ending was somewhat disappointing,
but not distractingly so. And fans of Rutger Haur
should appreciate his portrayal of SS Inspector
March.

All-in-all, a very good movie.
(how about someday a "Director's Cut" DVD ?!?)




April 6, 2005

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