Steven Berkoff - War and Remembrance (1988) Discussion

[–] musical_devotee 18 years ago

I'm sorry, but I disagree. Having seen the entire series on the DVD lately, Steven Berkoff seems awfully miscast, or at least poorly directed. His Hitler is a mixture of a mad dog and a buffoon. All he does is yell and yell. He made no character at all with this challenging part.

The role of Hitler can be done superbly, as Bruno Ganz demonstrated in the recent German movie THE DOWNFALL (DER UNTERGANG). He gave a depth to the character of Hitler by not making him look like a stooge and yet still not allowing one shred of doubt about the evil in question. Steven Berkoff was so over the top in War and Remembrance.

reply

[–] nyctc7 18 years ago

Count me as a Berkoff fan. Yes, Bruno Ganz was superb, and Gunter Meisner, who was in "Winds of War," was great as well. I'm not going to say one performance was better than the other. I liked them all.

reply

[–] cardinal_biggles 16 years ago

Berkoff's Hitler did seem way over the top, and while it seemed spot-on during the last five episodes ("The Final Chapter"), especially as he retreats into the bunker as the Soviets reduce Berlin to rubble, it came across as clownish during the first seven episodes. Meisner's Hitler from Winds was equally capable of tantrums and harangues, but seemed to keep it a bit more balanced.

reply

[–] WJurgens 15 years ago

What you need to take into account, is that the timeline in Hitler's life depicted by Berkoff, was at a time when Hitler was sinking deeper and deeper into his own maniachal narcississtic personality. If you watch the behind the scenes discussions with Dan Curtis in the bonus materials DVD, Curtis says that he told Berkoff not to underplay the part, but to even when necessary take it over the top. I think this was very effective, and was an electrifying performance. If you understand Hitler, Berkoff's performance was probably the best and most truthful of anyone that ever portrayed Hitler, including the late, great Sir Alec Guiness. Stellar performance.

reply

[–] geezabrek-1 14 years ago

Because it's important to portray Hitler as a balanced person.

reply

[–] mjkbncb 18 years ago

I agree. Berkoff was great in that role. The actor who played Hitler in "The Winds of War" was good, but i think Berkoff was better. Yes, he played the part maniacally, but that's the way Hitler really was.

reply

[–] Audie-T 18 years ago

Yes, he played the part maniacally, but that's the way Hitler really was.

Wow. That is the stupidest comment on Hitler unless you're one of his few intimate friends.

Think you can trust your cat? Think Again!

reply

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jamma_man69 17 years ago

by - Audie-T on Thu Oct 5 2006 16:38:11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, he played the part maniacally, but that's the way Hitler really was.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow. That is the stupidest comment on Hitler unless you're one of his few intimate friends.

Think you can trust your cat? Think Again!

Audie

You have read some books on the guy?

There have been many first hand books on just how much of a maniac hitler was when it came to be delusional

have you read Mein Kampf? It is one of the worse written books---even if you ignore all the hatred. It is nuts.

reply

[–] Audie-T 17 years ago

Hitler was not acting like a maniac all the time! Most of the time he was quiet and polite although he was not a very social man. He surrounded himself with his trustees but among these he had very few real friends. Sounds like a lonely guy.

Later in the war, when things got from bad to worse, Hitler would get more and more tantrums but these were only momentarily. If he had acted like that all the time, even his trusted SS-bodyguard would have locked him up somewhere safe and remote.

Think you can trust your cat? Think Again!

reply

[–] springmoon60 17 years ago

Agreed. By many accounts, Hitler was an incredibly charismatic man who had a capacity to get what he wanted. Even at the end, his fits of madness were sporadic and hidden. If more people had seen more of the "crazy" side, he would not have had such a long tenure as Fuhrer nor inspired such loyalty.

reply

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] kawano2000 16 years ago

Hitler was not always the raving lunatic that we are so used to seeing from his speeches. Of all the actors I've seen portray Hitler - Berkoff, Meisner, Guinness, Hopkins, Jacobi, Ganz - I would have to say Berkoff and Jacobi were the least impressive because their portrayals were almost one dimensional. I remember one critic called Berkoff's Hitler a "moustached Bob Newhart".

reply

[–] stumitchumjc_omnimovie 17 years ago

Then there was Richard Basehart ("Voyage to The Bottom of the Sea") in 1960! And Bob Mitchum's brother, John, played Goering in that movie! I believe the same outfit did the movie, "Operation Eichmann" where Werner ("Col. Klink") Klemperer played Eichmann!

reply

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] yeah_baby_5 13 years ago

It's kind of funny that you mentioned Berkoff looks like Hopkins. When I saw the trailer for The Tourist, the scene where Berkoff was wearing sunglasses made me think it was Anthony Hopkins.

reply

[–] ingsoc75 16 years ago

In my mind he looked more like Hitler minus that bump on his forehead.

reply

[–] yodoc-2 15 years ago

I agree. Berkoff's Hitler is greatly enhanced by the close resemblance, closer than anyone else I've seen portray him. However, I much prefer Günter Meisner's portrayal of Hitler in "Winds of War." And even though there is really no resemblance, and he's now way too old to portray Hitler, I've always wondered how Hardy Krüger would have portrayed him? He's been one of my favourite German actors ever since I saw "Flight of the Phoenix" as a teenager. I'm still annoyed that that movie was re-made!

reply

[–] censorshipsucks06 14 years ago

Günter Meisner IMO was WAAAAAY better than Berkoff. When I first watched Wind of War and War & Remembrance, I watched them back to back - so the re-casts really stuck out. Going from Meisner's Hitler - controlled yet fierce, to Berkoff's Hitler - something I felt would have been more appropriate for a Three Stooges short - was a shocking disappointment. Even the recasting of Goering was poor. The scene where they are both sitting giggling like schoolboys at the film of the hanging Generals was just so bad. The way Berkoff portrayed Hitler made him seem so insane and out of control that he would have barely been able to win a game of RISK - let alone come close to world domination. Meisner's Hitler seemed totally in control (even when he was making military errors). He seemed much more like a leader - albeit a dangerously insane one. Berkoff's Hitler resembled an immature child who had his toys taken away - and went on a screaming tantrum that never seemed to end. IMO - Günter Meisner hit the exact right balance in what has to be one of the toughest roles to play - Hitler. Simply way more believable.

reply

[–] generalusgrant 14 years ago

I can't believe anyone seriously thinks that either Meisner or Berkoff was acceptable Hitler's. They were ridiculous CARTOON versions of Hitler. The actual Hitler was usually calm and not prone to rages until 1944-1945, when his descent into prescription pills and meth from Dr. Morell made him behave hysterically.

Watch "Hitler: The Last 10 Days" with Alec Guinness, a better actor by about 10 million degrees over Meisneror Berkoff. He portrayed Hitler as he really was.

reply

[–] Ehrgeiz 11 years ago

I think the truth lies in the middle. The impression of the always raging Hitler comes by his style in public speeches. But that was something he trained thouroughly in his young years, and from a few recordings, especially this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8raDPASvq0

we know the difference in his speech voice, which is much quieter.

But I think, he was in no way "calm" in the meetings with his generals e.g.
Many contemporaries report, that, whereever he was, he tried to be, usually with success, the center of attention. This included lengthy monologues towards group of generals and even chiefs of state of other axis countries.
Even when dining at lunch, he took over the conversation, while his entourage rarely spoke.
The most famous rage outbursts came in my opinion with the first major losses in winter of 1941 and have to do more with the diminishing military power of Germany than with his deteriorating health. They are reported, for example in some written accounts of the meetings in the Führer headquarters between 1942 and 1943. He was not always raging like in the Steiner scene, but knew numerous other ways to humiliate the generals, which were the primary target of his rants.

reply

[–] jgijselhart 14 years ago

Berkoff's portrayal was indeed hysterical. The best Hitler performance ever, I find, is by the East German actor Fritz Dies in the brilliant Soviet movie series Osvobozdeniye(Liberation) from the early seventies.
Check out the audio footage on youtube of the real Hitler having a conversation with Finnish Marshall Mannerheim, as recorded by the Finnish secret service, if you want to know how he really sounded and acted when not going crazy behind a microphone.

reply

[–] jamma_man69 14 years ago

I have met Berkof a few times and he played hitler that way for a reason. I talked to him after downfall came out and his comment was "they wanted to make hitler look human--I wanted to show him for the animal he was"--also-_Berkoff met with people who dealt with Hitler and he said the rants he went on were legendary

reply

[–] ShellyM 13 years ago

Steven Berkoff portrayed Adolf Hitler perfectly. He showed how evil and insane Hitler was

reply

[–] BertramWilberforceWooster 13 years ago

Hitler didn't delve into complete insanity until 1944/45. Berkoff's ranting in the film began as early as 1942. He was over-the-top. Read John Toland's biography on Hitler. It's excellent, and it shows just how his descent into madness began.

--
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
jonbkennedy.wordpress.com

reply

[–] digitalceo95 10 years ago

yeah...I'm watching it now for the first time in 20 years. he gives me the creeps lol!

reply

[–] Jester2000154113 10 years ago

Berkoff's performance is ridiculously over-the-top and makes Hitler this cartoon character who's impossible to take seriously.

Yes, Hitler had rages, but that's ALL Berkoff does. He acts the same in almost every one of his scenes, and it gets really old really fast. There's no nuance, depth, or variety in his performance. It's just pedal to the medal the whole way through.

He seems like he's out of a different movie than the chillingly realistic Holocaust scenes.

my movie review website: http://www.jestersreviews.com

reply