The Times (London) March 17, 2003, Monday SECTION: Home news; 7 HEADLINE: Historian abandons Hitler TV series BYLINE: Robin Young The historian Sir Ian Kershaw has severed all connection with the American producers of a television mini-series that was to have been based on his biography of Hitler. Sir Ian, Professor of Modern History at Sheffield University, is understood to have feared that the producers would sacrifice historical accuracy to make the series more eventful. Alliance Atlantis paid an undisclosed sum for the rights to Hitler: 1889-1936: Hubris, the first volume of Sir Ian's biography. The series, Hitler: The Rise of Evil, is being filmed in Prague. It will star Robert Carlyle as Hitler. Leslie Moonves, the president of CBS, which will screen the series in America, said: "The book was an academic piece. We needed more incidents." Peter Sussman, chief executive of Alliance Atlantis, said: "Film is a different medium to historical research. Ian realised in the middle of the process that the film has to be different from the book." ------------- Well, how about that? A movie exec that seems about to screw history again in favour of more "incidents". Why, that's totally unheard of!
*shakes head* Honestly, I think I would probably like it alot more if it stuck to the book rather than adding certain "incidents" to it. Throughout the series I'd be focused on thinking "that didn't really happen"...or "that happened"...instead of actually enjoying it. Bah! DUCE
What? This is hitler we are talking about?!?!?! How can they make a seiries about some frat boys surviving on an island, but then say that there were not any events in hitler's life? Well, I guess that's pretty typical.
Depends Doc....Maybe we will see a shot of him visiting his relatives in Liverpool UK, before his rise to power, and the affair he had with Lilly from Toxteth who was a clippy (bus conducter/ticket collecter) She apparantly dropped him and broke his heart, which caused him to return to Germany....A love unrequited that may very well have made him the man he was...The rest is history...
Bad! Just let me tell you that Hitler's life is full of drama and interesting incidents. It even has several love stories... I can't see how the producers can claim that it is too 'academic'. I've read both professor Kershaw's books and let me tell you that they are more than excellent and they have a lot of dramatic stuff to portrait. Anyway, I'd LOVE to watch that mini-series.
