To this day there's no shortage of movies about Nazi-Germany, but movies from Nazi-Germany are rarely shown. In spite of the need for re-evaluation allegedly felt by modern filmmakers, the real dope still seems to be a bit too much.
The reason is obvious: Showing how these people saw themselves, not as monsters, but as vanguards of Civilization, are simply too close for comfort. And STUKAS is indeed shocking.
There are no SS officers, nor even any mention of National Socialism, only those brave boys fighting for their country. There's not one HEIL Hitler in the entire movie – as opposed to the literally thousands in any "historical film" – but the soldiers occasionally do go HEIL-HEIL, with about the same intonation as "See you around!"
An officer invariably greets his men with MEINE HERREN, his manner being approximately as when, in the course of the frequent dinners, he proposes a toast to his comrades (never the Fuhrer) and their response JAWOHL HERR HAUPTMANN is delivered with a smirk suggesting that he's just told a dirty joke. All in all, there's more military discipline in SOLDATERKAMMERATER.
Apparently, Germans only want to have fun, and the Luftwaffe is just the place for that sort of thing. Only military targets are hit, and apart from an occasional headache, no one is seen to be wounded, let alone maimed, suggesting that the fallen comrades are transported to their final destination by VALKYRIES.
Even when you're trapped behind enemy line, there's still time for a bit of fun with a French mademoiselle, pretending to be English. Not that the French really hate the Germans, you see – after being routed to the accompaniment of the Marseillaise, the boorish soldiers refuse to fight a useless war.
And about that civilization: Watching an American war movie invariably gives you the impression that GI Joe is an illiterate psychopath, or at best a poor bum, who just wants to go home for Christmas. In STUKAS the men are being entertained by their officers playing classical music on a BECHSTEIN piano.
Of course, ES WIRD LANGSAM ERNST, as one of them is heard remarking. Yes it does, but no letters need go out to heartbroken mothers, they themselves expressing their elation at their sons' demise, inspiring one of the officers to quote HÖLDERLIN.
Nevertheless, toward the end our hero loses his spirit, being committed to a military hospital. You know, one of those institutions, where soldiers are sent for a good rest and a fling with a pretty nurse.
Of course, she knows just the thing to cheer him up, accompanying him to Bayreuth. In fact it turns out that Wagner might have spared himself writing ten hours of "music", since it only takes about two minutes of the VORABEND overture to send him back to his comrades (apparently running most of the way) who are just about to play a little joke on the English.
Where do we enlist? In short, STUKAS is required viewing for anyone going to Afghanistan to fight for queen and country!
The reason is obvious: Showing how these people saw themselves, not as monsters, but as vanguards of Civilization, are simply too close for comfort. And STUKAS is indeed shocking.
There are no SS officers, nor even any mention of National Socialism, only those brave boys fighting for their country. There's not one HEIL Hitler in the entire movie – as opposed to the literally thousands in any "historical film" – but the soldiers occasionally do go HEIL-HEIL, with about the same intonation as "See you around!"
An officer invariably greets his men with MEINE HERREN, his manner being approximately as when, in the course of the frequent dinners, he proposes a toast to his comrades (never the Fuhrer) and their response JAWOHL HERR HAUPTMANN is delivered with a smirk suggesting that he's just told a dirty joke. All in all, there's more military discipline in SOLDATERKAMMERATER.
Apparently, Germans only want to have fun, and the Luftwaffe is just the place for that sort of thing. Only military targets are hit, and apart from an occasional headache, no one is seen to be wounded, let alone maimed, suggesting that the fallen comrades are transported to their final destination by VALKYRIES.
Even when you're trapped behind enemy line, there's still time for a bit of fun with a French mademoiselle, pretending to be English. Not that the French really hate the Germans, you see – after being routed to the accompaniment of the Marseillaise, the boorish soldiers refuse to fight a useless war.
And about that civilization: Watching an American war movie invariably gives you the impression that GI Joe is an illiterate psychopath, or at best a poor bum, who just wants to go home for Christmas. In STUKAS the men are being entertained by their officers playing classical music on a BECHSTEIN piano.
Of course, ES WIRD LANGSAM ERNST, as one of them is heard remarking. Yes it does, but no letters need go out to heartbroken mothers, they themselves expressing their elation at their sons' demise, inspiring one of the officers to quote HÖLDERLIN.
Nevertheless, toward the end our hero loses his spirit, being committed to a military hospital. You know, one of those institutions, where soldiers are sent for a good rest and a fling with a pretty nurse.
Of course, she knows just the thing to cheer him up, accompanying him to Bayreuth. In fact it turns out that Wagner might have spared himself writing ten hours of "music", since it only takes about two minutes of the VORABEND overture to send him back to his comrades (apparently running most of the way) who are just about to play a little joke on the English.
Where do we enlist? In short, STUKAS is required viewing for anyone going to Afghanistan to fight for queen and country!