YouTube ‘Hitler Reacts’ videos are EC’s downfall
January 31st, 2010 by Scott Marks
YouTube Hitler parody videos are my downfall.
These frequently hilarious swatches that the Fuehrer would definitely have classified as degenerate art have been gathering views in record numbers for going on two years. They even managed to grab the attention of the generally high-minded New York Times.
It’s a viral video phenomenon that’s snowballed into what amounts to the world’s largest Film School 101 exercise. Each student is assigned the same scene, in this case a particularly combustible nugget from the German language film “Downfall” (2004), a biographical account of Adolf Hitler’s last ten days. The YouTube auteurs’ mission is to give new voice to Hitler by replacing the original English subtitles with satiric variations of their own.
The snippet in question shows Der Fuehrer (played by distinguished German actor Bruno Ganz) seated at his desk in the bunker while his minions nervously mill about waiting to deliver news that the war is over and Hitler’s side lost. All but three are asked to leave the room after which Hitler’s quivering hand slowly and silently removes his eyeglasses. It’s the calm before the sturm und drang as we await the reenactment of a full mental blitzkrieg on the Poland of Hitler’s cerebellum complemented by sarcastic subtitles.
Screenwriter Keith Ross Leckie (“Everest,” “Shattered City”) told The Globe and Mail, “Hitler is the extreme villain of course, and we’re all fascinated with him. The scene is set for you at the first glimpse. All his generals are standing around looking tense. You know something is up. The very intensity of it is what makes it so funny.”
Several months ago a former student introduced me to my first Hitler parody video. “Hitler learns that the ‘Avatar’ trailer sucks” cast Schicklgruber in the role of a nervous fanboy fearing that that the finished product could not possibly live up to advance hype. It’s a masterful pile of in-jokes that harpoon James Cameron’s most arcane flops and draw unflattering comparisons to “Land Before Time 3” and “FernGully: The Last Rainforest.” There’s even a knowing aside concerning “the Hollywood opiate of putting technology before the story.”
Be aware that every variation contains R rated language. Some of the salty on-screen translations get bluer than a brace of Na’vi.
Sharper entries include “Hitler reacts to McCain’s V.P. pick” (“Her daughter gets passed around like a joint at a Ben Harper concert.”), Hitler confronting his own sexuality after learning that gays are getting married and his wrath and indignation upon discovering that Dallas didn’t make it to Super Bowl 42.
The most obtuse variant I unearthed was “Hitler Responds to Sam’s Birthday,” an exclusive invitation to a London birthday bash.
I just finished “researching” thirty or so of the wildly popular Hitler parodies and my guess is there’s at least ten times that amount on YouTube. No two parodies bear the same title, so it’s impossible to calculate just how many variations there are. Some begin with “Hitler finds out about…” or “Hitler rants about…” or “Hitler is informed about…,” buy they all share the same fundamental concept.
Hitler is brought news that displeases him. It could be that his mother is coming to visit (not surprisingly she drives a Volkswagen) or that he’s been banned from Xbox Live. And I pity the poor SS Officer assigned the task of telling Hitler that there is no Santa Claus. Hitler asks, “If he doesn’t exist why, would they write songs about him?” and demands an explanation for “the consumed milk and cookies.”
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Will Academy Award nominees include San Diego’s Destin Cretton?
January 30th, 2010 by Scott Marks
When the Motion Picture Academy announces its nominees on Feb. 2, don’t be surprised if San Diego’s “Sundance Kid,” Destin Cretton, turns out to be an Oscar contender. The 31-year-old director of the dramatic short “Short Term 12″ could soon go down in history as South Park’s only Academy Award-winning resident.
So far, his film has racked up seven awards at festivals across the country.
“Boston was our first audience award, so it’s nice to know that normal people like the film, too,” Cretton joked about winning the Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film at Boston’s 2009 Independent Film Festival.
In addition, “Short Term 12″ took home another audience award at the Gen Art Chicago Film Festival, special mention at both Aspen and Chicago, a Jury Prize at CineVegas and Best in Show at Seattle and Sundance.
Why did it take a year for the Academy to catch on?
According to Cretton (and the Academy’s bylaws), in order to qualify to submit to the Academy Awards, “you have to win one of their qualifying festivals. Sundance and the jury prize at Seattle International Film Festival qualified us to win,” Cretton explained. “That’s how they narrow down the number of short films that they allow to be submitted.”
“Short Term 12″ is a knockout: a semi-autobiographical tale of a supervisor at a residential facility housing 15 kids who have suffered from child abuse and neglect. Destin was fortunate enough to get actor Brad Henke (”SherryBaby,” “Choke,’ “World Trade Center”) to star as Denim, the leader of a staff that is only slightly less pressured than air traffic controllers.
Many of the kids are just one step away from “juvy.” In just under 22 minutes, his camera pinpoints crucial details, befitting a far more experienced director, and skillfully tells us everything we need to know about these characters.
He did that before with his feature documentary “Drakmar: A Vassal’s Journey” (2006), made in San Diego with then-partner Lowell Frank. Lauded by local critics, the story of a fiercely committed boy hobbyist went on to HBO after director Bennett Miller (”Capote,” “The Cruise”) came to San Diego for an award and was given a copy of the film by Cretton. (Fortunately, Cretton had brought a screener with him.)
Writing and directing movies wasn’t even a blip on Cretton’s radar when he was picking pineapples near his hometown of Haiku, Hawaii. Soon after Cretton graduated from high school, he moved to Ocean Beach and attended Point Loma Nazarene University, where in 2001 he received a B.A. in communication.
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