8 - “The Banality of Good”? Good Nazis in Contemporary German Film

Summary

The fascination with fascism, whether in Germany or abroad, continues as strongly as ever, and — as Jewish historian Yaffa Eliach mordantly commented with reference to the Holocaust industry — “There's no business like Shoah business.” An analysis of recent representations of Nazism and its aftermath in contemporary film will uncover a shift towards the depiction of Nazis as victims as well as heroes. As many of these films are used in educational settings, with the intention of enlightening students about the Nazi period and contributing to the teaching of values (Werteerziehung), their showcasing of exemplary conduct by both victims and perpetrators blurs the definition of “good,” both in the context of filmic reality and by today's standards. This fluid morality will be discussed in view of the numerous “good Nazis” represented on screen in recent years.

Three internationally acclaimed productions exemplify this shift in the depiction of good and evil: Oliver Hirschbiegel's Der Untergang (Downfall, 2004), Stefan Ruzowitzky's Die Fälscher (Counterfeiters, 2007), and Marc Rothemund's film Sophie Scholl — Die letzten Tage (Sophie Scholl — The Final Days, 2005). All of these films attempt a representation of Nazism in the style of historical reproduction and create the illusion that the viewer is witnessing a historical reality, with complex individuals behaving in diverse ways when confronted with moral challenges. All three productions also share parallels with regard to their reception, having found their way not just to international box offices, but also into the German school curriculum, with the re-enactment of history as spectacle apparently being seen as lending itself as much to education as to entertainment.