Max,
directed by Menno Meyjes, is ostensibly about German art critic
and dealer Max Rothman, but more importantly is a biopic of
Adolf Hitler in the years 1917-1919. The film purports to
show a critical turning point in the life of Hitler--and of
the world. When the film begins, titles tell us that 100,000
Jews were drafted into the German army, and another 40,000
volunteered. Germany sued for peace after a disastrous defeat
in the Battle Yprès of 1917, but the terms of the Treaty
of Versailles shocked the nation. Germany had to cede land
to France and Poland and pay an amount of reparations which,
according to one character in the film, exceeded all the assets
in the country. Germany, in short, was humiliated, and the
German people looked for an answer to their plight. Both Rothman
(played by John Cusack) and Hitler (played by Noah Taylor)
fought in the Battle of Yprès, though in different
parts of the front. Whereas Rothman came back without an arm,
his rich family provided comfort for him and a start as an
art dealer. Hitler, however, came from a poor family, so he
stayed in the army so that he could have room and board. One
evening Hitler is employed to deliver a case of champagne
to one of Rothman's art exhibitions; he also brings along
some of his sketches to show the famous art dealer. Although
Rothman is not impressed with Hitler's old-fashioned style,
he encourages him to bring more at another time for an evaluation.
Hitler returns, Rothman praises his talent but encourages
him to produce modern art.
The film then contrasts the high social life of Rothman with
Hitler's anti-Semitic army buddies, a disparity that Hitler
observes in time as Rothman takes him under his wing. We also
learn that Hitler was allergic to tobacco and was Puritanical
about women. Rothman also listens to Hitler's pro-German speeches,
noting that the poor artist has an intellectual comprehension
of modern German philosophy, and he even tolerates Hitler's
anti-Semitism. Toward the end of the film, Rothman discovers
in Hitler's art studio powerful drawings of crowds, men in
uniform with what were later called Nazi symbols, buildings
with a neoclassical architectural style, and a sketch of a
superhighway. Rothman, profoundly impressed by the sketches,
asks Hitler to bring them to the Metropole Café the
following evening in preparation for an exhibition. Before
the scheduled appointment, Hitler had been asked to be a speaker
at a meeting of the National Socialist Party, filling in for
someone who was unable to do so. Hitler's anti-Semitic speech
so arouses the audience that some of those leaving the auditorium
see Rothman walking toward the Metropole, beat him up, and
he is left semiconscious in the snow. Hitler, in response
to Rothman's no-show, leaves the Metropole, and presumably
the rest is history. Max purports to answer why Hitler rose
from obscurity to prominence in a Germany looking for an alternative
to the Versailles capitulation. However, no such budding art
career existed, and Hitler never met Rothman. Max
humanizes Hitler, a most unusual theme for a film that merits
nominations from the Political Film Society as a commentary
on the need for greater democracy and as an exposé
on the early years of Hitler. For art students, the film is
valuable as a commentary on how a person early in an art career
can be inspired to greatness--by channeling deep emotions
onto a canvass. MH
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