Hans Litten vs. Adolf Hitler (2011)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hans Litten vs. Adolf Hitler: How to Stop a Tyrant is a documentary film which premiered in 2011.

 

The topic of this film is the conflict between the German Lawyer Hans Litten (1903-1938) and the leader of the Nazi Party Adolf Hitler (1889-1945).

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Writer and director: Mark Hayhurst

** Narrator: Bill Paterson

** Historical consultant: Benjamin Carter Hett

** Available on YouTube

** Run time: 59 minutes

 

Several persons are interviewed in this film

Here are the names of the participants

Listed in alphabetical order

 

** Elfriede Brüning – The Association of Revolutionary Writers, 1928-1933

** Benjamin Carter Hett – an American historian

** Wolfgang Kaleck (born 1960) – a human rights lawyer

 

** Sven Langhammer – a curator, Lichtenberg Concentration Camp

** Patricia Litten (born 1954) – Hans Litten’s niece

** Harald Marpe – a historian of Charlottenburg, Berlin

 

** Hildegard Neumann – daughter of a political prisoner

** Dr Dirk Riedel (born 1971) – a historian, Dachau Concentration Camp

** Rudy Schiffmann – a member of the German Communist Party 1927-1933

 

** Professor Stefanie Schüler-Springorum – a writer

** Birute Stern (1930-2021) – the daughter of Max Fürst (1905-1978) and Margot Fürst (1912-2003) – Max and Margot were close friends of Hans Litten’s.

 

The young German lawyer Hans Litten was opposed to the Nazis. As a Jewish lawyer in the Weimar republic, he tried to use the law to stop the advance of the Nazi Party.

 

On 22 November 1930, a group of Nazi Storm Troopers entered the Eden Dance Palace - a well-known meeting place for socialists and communists - and opened fire on the people inside. Three were killed, while 20 were wounded.

 

On 08 May 1931, four suspects were tried in a court of law. Prosecutor Hans Litten called Adolf Hitler as a witness. The leader of the Nazi Party was asked to talk about the role of the Storm Troopers in the Nazi Party.

 

Hans Litten questioned Hitler for three hours. His purpose was to show the difference between a legal party and a party which supports the use of violence.

 

Hitler was in a dilemma:

 

He could say he and his party had nothing to do with the attack on the Eden Dance Palace. But in that case, the Storm Troopers would be upset to learn that he did not support them.

 

He could say he and his party supported the Storm Troopers. But in that case, members of the German middle class would be upset to learn that he and his party did not respect the law; that he and his party supported the use of violence against civilians.

 

Hitler was furious. But since he was in a courtroom, he had to respect the rules and regulations of the place. He was caught in a trap.

 

He could not walk out in protest. He could not order his Storm Troopers to beat up the prosecutor. He was humiliated.

 

He never forgot the name Hans Litten. He promised himself that he was going to get revenge as soon as possible.

 

In January 1933, Hitler became the Chancellor. One month later, after the Reichstag fire, he was allowed to issue emergency laws.

 

Many members of the opposition – socialists and communists – were arrested and placed in concentration camps. One of the first to be arrested was Hans Litten.

 

In the following years, he was moved from camp to camp. He was often interrogated and exposed to torture. In 1938, after surviving five years in different camps, he took his own life. This is how Hitler got his revenge.

 

In this film, we follow the life of Hans Litten from 1930 until his death in 1938.

 

The account of his life is illustrated by archive footage, recorded during the 1930s.

 

The account of his life is also illustrated with several clips from the historical drama The Man Who Crossed Hitler, which premiered in 2011. This documentary film is a companion to the historical drama.

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

This question is not easy to answer

 

The film is not listed on IMDb

There are no user reviews

 

The film is not available on Amazon

There are no customer reviews.

 

The conflict between Hans Litten and Adolf Hitler is an important chapter in German history:

 

** The history of the Weimar Republic 1918-1933

** The history of Nazi Germany 1933-1945

 

The story deserves to be told, and in this film, it is done very well.

 

The participants are well-chosen. They offer useful information and valuable perspectives on the case.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

PS. In April 1935, while Hans Litten was a prisoner in a concentration camp, the commandant told the inmates that they had to stage a performance on 20 April in order to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s 46th birthday.

 

On that day, Hans Litten recited a famous German poem:

 

Die Gedanken sind frei

 

Who wrote this poem? The name of the original author is not known. The most popular version was rendered by Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1842. 

 

Here is the German text of this poem:

 

Die Gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten,
sie fliehen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten.
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger sie schießen
es bleibet dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!

Ich denke was ich will und was mich beglücket,
doch alles in der Still', und wie es sich schicket.
Mein Wunsch und Begehren kann niemand verwehren,
es bleibet dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!

Ich liebe den Wein, mein Mädchen vor allen,
sie tut mir allein am besten gefallen.
Ich bin nicht alleine bei meinem Glas Weine,
mein Mädchen dabei: die Gedanken sind frei.

Und sperrt man mich ein im finsteren Kerker,
das alles sind rein vergebliche Werke;
denn meine Gedanken zerreißen die Schranken
und Mauern entzwei: die Gedanken sind frei.
 

Drum will ich auf immer den Sorgen entsagen

und will mich auch nimmer mit Grillen mehr plagen.
Man kann ja im Herzen stets lachen und scherzen
und denken dabei: die Gedanken sind frei.

 

Hans Litten was beaten by the Nazis, while he was a prisoner. But his spirit was not crushed.

 

He wanted to show the Nazis that they might punish their opponents by sending them to a concentration camp, but they would never be able to crush the dream of a different and better world with freedom and justice for all.

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. Books

 

Crossing Hitler: 

The Man Who Put the Nazis on the Witness Stand

By Benjamin Carter Hett

(2008)

 

Beheaded by Hitler: Cruelty of the Nazis, Civilian Executions and Judicial Terror, 1933-1945

By Colin Pateman

(2017)

 

Beyond Tears:

A Mother’s Fight to Save Her Son in Nazi Germany

By Irmgard Litten

(2023)

 

Irmgard Litten (1879-1953) is the mother of Hans Litten. When he was arrested and sent to a concentration camp, she began a campaign for his release.

 

In 1938, when her son took his own life, she left Germany, but while she was in exile, she continued her campaign against the leaders of Nazi Germany who had refused to release her son.

 

The original version of this book about Hans Litten was published in German. 

 

An English version was published in the US in 1940. It was reprinted in 2023.

 

# 2. Film and video

 

The Man Who crossed Hitler

A historical drama

(2011)

 

While the story of this drama is set in Germany in 1930 and 1931, the dialogue is in English, which is a violation of historical truth,

 

Die NS-Justiz:

Recht des Unrechts

A documentary film

(2023)

 

*****

The German lawyer

Hans Litten

(1903-1938)

*****

Irmgard Litten

(1879-1953)

Mother of Hans Litten

 

*****

Beyond Tears:

A Mother's fight to Save 

Her Son in Nazi Germany

By Irmgard Litten

(This book was first published in 1940)

(It was reprinted in 2023)

 

*****

 

 

The Boys Who Said No (2020)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Boys Who Said No: Draft Resistance and the Vietnam War is a documentary film which premiered in 2020.

 

The title and the subtitle explain the topic: this film is about the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War with special focus on the resistance against the military draft.

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Producers: Judith Ehrlich, Christopher Colorado Jones, and Bill Prince

** Director: Judith Ehrlich

** Writers: Judith Ehrlich and Michael Chandler

** Narrator: Michael Stewart Foley

** Run time: 90 minutes

 

More than 20 persons are interviewed in this film

Here are the names of the participants

Listed in alphabetical order

 

** Joan Baez (born 1941) – artist – folk singer – political activist – married to David Harris 1968-1973

** Mandy Carter – non-violent activist

** Bob Cooney – draft resister

** Bruce Dancis – draft resister – author of the book Resister: A Story of Protest and Prison during the Vietnam War (2014)

 

** Walter Dellenbach – member of Los Angeles Resistance

** Bob Eaton – draft resister

** Dr Daniel Ellsberg (1931-2023) – political activist - whistleblower

** Dr Michael Ferber - member of Boston Resistance

 

** Geoff Fishman – draft resister

** Michael Stewart Foley – author of the book Confronting the War Machine: Draft Resistance during the Vietnam War (2003) – and narrator of this film

** Todd Friend (1947-2017) – draft resister

** Bill Garaway – draft resister

 

** David Harris (1946-2023) – co-founder of The Resistance – married to Joan Baez 1968-1973

** Christopher Colorado Jones (1949-2019) – draft resister – and co-producer of this film

** Randy Kehler (born 1944) – draft resister

** Steve Ladd – draft resister – and associate producer of this film

 

** Joe Maizlish (died in 2022) – draft resister

** Jay Moss – draft resister

** Mark Rudd – Weather Underground

** Dr Cleveland Sellers (born 1944) – a member of the organization SNCC 1964-1967

 

** Dr Melvin Small (born 1939) – author of the book Antiwarriors (2002)

** Lee Swenson (1939-2024) – draft resister

** Bob Zaugh (born 1945) – draft resister – executive producer of this film

 

Archive footage is used between the talking heads.

Archive footage is used to support and supplement the statements made by the talking heads.

Archive footage is used when the narrator is speaking.

 

This film shows how and why the movement against the military draft began and how it developed from 1964 until 1972 when it was ended by an act of Congress.

 

This film shows how the campaign against the draft was organized: what did the draft resisters do in order to make the campaign as effective as possible?

 

From time to time some statistics are presented on the screen. Here are two examples:

 

# 1. The number of draft resister cases 

during the 1960s

** 1965 = 250

** 1966 = 450

** 1967 = 750

** 1968 = more than 1,000 cases pending

 

# 2. What happened to the draft resisters?

How many cases were registered?

** 200,000

How many persons were indicted?

** 20,000

How many persons were convicted?

** 8,000

How many persons were sent to prison?

** 4,000

 

Draft resisters came from all over the US. And they came from different social groups.

 

Many opinions were presented when draft resisters came together in order to decide what to do in order to create a successful campaign.

 

As explained in the film, there were disagreements within the movement. 

 

Some members advocated the use of violence, while other members were opposed to such a line of action.

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 75 percent

 

Two user reviews are posted on IMDb

 

The first review offers a rating of 100 percent. 

The headline says: “Must-see movie about resistance to the war against Vietnam”

 

The second review offers a rating of 70 percent

The headline says: “Very watchable home movie, though lacking as a Vietnam anti-draft documentary”

 

As you can see, both reviews are positive. You can also see that the second reviewer has some reservations. According to the second reviewer, this film is flawed. 

 

What is wrong with it? 

 

Here are some flaws mentioned in the review:

 

# 1. There is not much information about the Vietnam War itself.

 

Why did the Vietnam war provoke a growing movement against the draft? This did not happen during WWII or during the Korean war (1950-1953).

 

# 2. How did family and friends respond when a young man decided to resist the draft?

 

Many families were torn apart because of this conflict. But this aspect of the resistance against the draft is not discussed in the film.

 

# 3. Some draft resisters decided to organize a raid on a draft office in order to destroy the records of young men who could be drafted.

 

There were several actions like this. But only one case is mentioned. The Catonsville Nine. There were many other cases around the US.

 

For instance, in Camden (New Jersey) where 28 activists were arrested and later tried in a court of law. But this case is not mentioned in the film.

 

# 4. Some young men decided to avoid the draft by leaving the country.

 

Many went to Canada. Some went to Sweden. This approach was different. These people avoided the draft by disappearing from the US.

 

The draft resisters stayed in the US and opposed the draft. They were prepared to pay the price for their opposition to government policy.

 

The Americans who left the country were draft dodgers, not draft resisters. But they should be mentioned in a film about opposition to the draft.

 

I will mention an additional flaw:

 

During the 1960s, many members of popular movements had a feeling that they were being watched, but for a long time this was only an unconfirmed suspicion.

 

In 1971, the suspicion was confirmed, when a small group of activists raided a small FBI office in Pennsylvania.

 

The activists found government documents about something called COINTELPRO.

 

This abbreviation was the code-name of a secret FBI program whose purpose was to monitor, infiltrate and eventually destroy any popular movement which was regarded by the FBI as un-American and un-patriotic.

 

One of many popular movements which were monitored by the FBI was the movement for draft resistance. But COINTELPRO is not mentioned in this film.

 

One of the persons interviewed in this film is Daniel Ellsberg who released the Pentagon Papers to the media in 1971.

 

The Pentagon Papers showed that the US government had been lying to the American people about the Vietnam war for decades.

 

The release of these secret government documents in 1971 was one of many reasons why opposition against the war and against the draft was growing in the US in the beginning of the 1970s

 

The story about the resistance against the military draft is important. The story deserves to be told, and in this film, it is done quite well.

 

But not everything is good. As you can see, the film has some flaws, which cannot be ignored. 

 

I have to remove one star because of these flaws. This product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).

 

PS. Judith Ehrlich is producer and co-director of the film The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers which premiered in 2009.

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. Books

 

Our War: 

What We Did in Vietnam and What It Did to Us

By David Harris

(1996)

 

Antiwarriors: The Vietnam War and the Battle for America’s Hearts and Minds

By Melvin Small

(2002)

 

Confronting the War Machine: Draft Resistance During the Vietnam War

By Michael Stewart Foley

(2003)

 

The Catonsville Nine: A Story of Faith and Resistance in the Vietnam Era

By Shawn Francis Peters

(2012)

 

Resister: 

A Story of Protest and Prison during the Vietnam War

By Bruce Dancis

(2014)

 

Refusal to Submit: Roots of the Vietnam War and a Young Man’s Draft Resistance

By Richard Gould

(2017)

 

Against the Wall:

Memoirs of a Vietnam-Era War Resister

By Howard Lisnoff

(2017)

 

# 2. Film and video

 

The War at Home

(1979)

 

The Camden 28

(2007)

 

Hit & Stay

(2013)

 

1971

(2014)

 

*****

GIRLS SAY YES

to boys who say NO

A provocative poster from 

the era of draft resistance

*****

The Catonsville Nine

burning stolen draft cards 

outside a draft office.

Waiting to be arrested

when the police arrive

*****

The Camden 28

A documentary film

which premiered in 2007

 

*****