The Captain 2018

[jmp45]

If you like foreign war flicks you will want to see this. Netflix has it on disc, German with Eng subtitle. One of the best I've seen in several years, the acting, timing it is perfect. I'll give it a solid A. Initially I thought no way any of this is not fiction.

Based on the True Story of the Executioner of Emsland

"The Captain follows Willi Herold (Max Hubacher), a German army deserter who stumbles across an abandoned Nazi captain's uniform during the last, desperate weeks of the Third Reich. Newly emboldened by the allure of a suit that he stole only to stay warm, Willi discovers that many Germans will follow the leader, whosoever that happens to be. A parade of fresh atrocities follow in the self-declared captain's wake, and serve as a profound reminder of the consequences of social conformity and untrammeled political power. Simultaneously a historical docudrama, a tar-black comedy, and a sociological treatise, The Captain presents fascism as a pathetic pyramid scheme, a system to be gamed by the most unscrupulous and hollow-souled." Written by Music Box Films


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2hg0S6y2X8

[sundance435]

Thanks for the review. I've considered renting it and probably will now.

[jmp45]

Max Hubacher is perfect for the role played. The story as it was written for this film gets crazier as it goes. There is sadism in the film and may not be suitable for many so there is that, it gets dark. A little of Shindler's List feel to it. I'm a little biased towards foreign films, especially in this genre. I think there is a full color version which in my opinion would ruin it. The reviewer in the op mentions black comedy, there is that for sure. The end of the film is out of control, base stuff..;) Stick around for the credits, funny stuff.

[sundance435]

Watched it last night. I think this might be the best WWII film I've seen in terms of capturing the Nazi mentality and the "allure" of fascism for the masses. In almost no other situation does a "nobody" have the ability to wield power and/or authority out of thin air. That's the tragically ironic aspect of many high-ranking Nazis - there were nobodies, failures, outcasts, etc. Give people like that a little taste of power and the results are disastrous. To me, it also highlighted that people will cling to even the thinnest veneer of authority when the world around them is uncertain and they'll go to unending lengths to justify their actions.

As for the film itself, I'm picky about black & white modern movies and at first I wasn't a fan, but as it went on, I thought it was a smart choice. I've read a few firsthand accounts of the last weeks of the war from the German side, which would support the script as for how they portrayed it. The end of the war on their side was pure chaos as either a soldier or civilian.

[Firefly]

You could apply a lot of that to Marxism as well if not moreso.

I personally am sick of WWII films. It was a weird time globally and more a probe of what people are willing to accept from a government

That Free Cheese gotta come from somebody.
Last WWII movie I thought enough to watch twice was Fury just because the tank was cool.

Thin Red Line to me is just using WWII as a setting for a grander theme.

That like the more you think about it, the more of what we think matters really doesn’t.

The stars are the guinea men. These black skinned, primitive yet innocent people who care for nothing until the are exposed to what the US and Japanese bring.

Real Cain and Abel mess.
Like....I feel like sometimes the police get more guns because the hoods get more guns because the police get more guns and all I really need is a single stack.45, a blackjack, a maglite, and maybe a Winchester 70.

But then people accuse me of being a heathen on acid. Anyways I’m bored with Nazi movies.

[thopkins22]

Wait, Netflix is still doing the dvd through the mail thing?

Huh. I wonder if I pay for it.

[t1tan]

Downloaded a copy last night and watched it today, loved it. High school German and context was enough to make it through but I also set it up to watch again through VLC with subtitles on my Apple TV in case I missed anything.