Blind Spot and Downfall

Blind Spot: Hitler’s Secretary

Andre Heller and Othmar Schmiderer, documentarians, rolled their cameras and 81-year-old Traudl Junge recalls for some 95 minutes her life as Hitler’s secretary.

We see, through her life and experiences, a unique view of Hitler, the Nazi regime and the German peoples mind set at the time. “I never got the idea he was conscious of pursuing criminal acts. To him they were great ideals; a human life meant nothing in comparison to those lofty goals”.

The footage is full of both small banal moments and pivotal historic ones. She speaks of his love for his dog, Blondie and she heard the sound of the bullet when he committed suicide. The documentary is compelling in its bare bones approach, just a woman struggling with her past. Her inability in the end to forgive a 20 year old girl, who in her naivety and ignorance served arguably the worlds greatest criminal. It forces one to consider the blinders we all must put on to live our lives in relative peace.

DownFall is the Oscar nominated dramatization based on Blind Spot, in its own right a great film.

I recommend both for a full night of historical perspective.

Peace as always and in all ways~Sage