Buy Or Don’t Buy

The 2004 German film Downfall [Der Untergang] was an unflinching look at Hitler’s final days that sparked a national debate in its home country over of its humanizing depiction of the Fuhrer. You’ve probably seen it - or at least, you’ve probably seen clips of it. For in the United States one scene from the film, of Hitler berating his generals, has sparked a flurry of internet video mashups.

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According to my research the clips first appeared sometime in early 2008; many of the most popular mashups concern the NFL playoffs that took place last January and February. The trend seemed to die down by the end of the year. But this weekend, another video - where Hitler complains about changes to the ending of Watchmen - has popped up and started making the virtual rounds.

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What makes this clip from a 5-year-old German movie so irresistible to mashup artists? Part of it is access: The only editing skill you need to have is an ability to add English subtitles. Another part is Bruno Ganz’s performance. Stripped of all context, Ganz’s shrieks and histrionic gestures are flat-out funny.

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And with all Hitler jokes, you have to consider the power of the forbidden fruit. It’s still not quite socially acceptable to make jokes about Hitler, especially not in mixed company. You have to go to the relative anonymity of the Internet to do it. There’s a little bit of a secret thrill in laughing at one of these videos.

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The rest of the meme’s appeal comes from the sheer incongruity of it. To see the worst mass-murderer in human history complaining about something as petty as fantasy football or XBox Live is inherently comedic. It’s even more enjoyable when you disagree with Hitler’s position, hence the overwhelming number of videos where the Fuhrer roots for a hated sports team.

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But the popularity of this fad ends up raising the same questions that Downfall did. The videos unquestionably make fun of Hitler, but they also humanize him a little bit. Who hasn’t wanted to go on a huge pencil-throwing rant every once in a while? But when we diminish Hitler the man, are we diminishing the Holocaust? Or can we just safely LOL and watch another?