Educational Media Reviews Online

His job was getting into the minds of the people and convincing them that the way of the Reich was the only way. He orchestrated the greatest propaganda machine the world had ever seen. Through this video, we can step into his thoughts, dreams and fears and begin to discover what drove him, and what motivated him to drive others. The Goebbels Experiment utilizes audio as well as video clips in order to establish the presence of Dr. Joseph Goebbels, a confidant and colleague of Adolf Hitler. However it is the use of excerpts from Goebbels’ diaries and journals that introduce you to the dark soul of the man. Beginning with passages as far back as 1924 discussing his anger and frustration over the initial childhood physical condition of a deformed club foot, and continuing through his death at the end of World War II, we discover some of the experiences and inner thoughts that shaped one of the integral players in the rise to power of the Nazi party. From the stirring opening to the sad and final ending we hear about his longing for love, how despondent his life was prior to meeting Hitler, his general yet passionate disdain for Jews, and his feelings about both Herman Göring and Heinrich Himmler. The journal entries, read beautifully by Kenneth Branagh, shine an almost intruding light on a background that does not excuse those things he was party to later in life, but does lend some explanation to his choices in a clear and yet uneasy way. For example an entry from May of 1928 speaking of German soldiers states, “They were the real heroes – never wavering, never giving an inch. With such people we will one day conquer the world.”

There are a few items one should reflect on prior to a consideration of purchase. First, it is not comprehensive, or remotely close to being so. Goebbels’ diaries spanned some twenty volumes. What we are provided here is a mere glimpse compared to the vast quantities available. Second, without a solid basic knowledge of the Nazi upsurge in pre-war Germany and the main events of World War II, a viewer will not be able to fully appreciate or properly absorb the material contained here. As Goebbels was intimately familiar with all that was occurring, he has no need for explanation to himself, and there is an absence of narration to fill in the gaps that is typical in many documentaries. Finally, the one puzzling drawback of this production is the use of white subtitles on the black and white images at a time when yellow subtitles are much more common and widely regarded as easier to read. There are times when the white is satisfactory, while in other instances the yellow would have been highly preferred. Despite this irritation, this film is worth viewing as an excellent supplement to study of both World War II as well as the specific personnel of the time.