In Hitler in the Movies: Finding Der Fuhrer on Film, a Shakespearean and a sociologist explore the fascination our popular culture has with Adolf Hitler. What made him ... Hitler? Do our explanations tell us more about the perceiver than the actual historical figure? We ask such question by viewing the Hitler character in the movies. How have directors, actors, film critics, and audiences accounted for this monster in a medium that reflects public tastes and opinions? The book first looks at comedic films, such as Chaplain's The Great Dictator or Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942),...

This book examines portraits of Hitler and how we try to "explain" him in the movies, including comedies, fantasies, psychological studies, documentaries, and docudramas. It then considers how this film Hitler lives on in our culture, in everything from politics to merchandise.