MOLOKH (Aleksandr Sokurov/Russia-Germany/1999)

The first of Sokurov's quartet of films about 20th century dictators (Taurus, about the last days of Lenin, and The Sun, about Emperor Hirohito, were released subsequently) won the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival. It's a day-in-the-life of Hitler from the vantage point of his beloved Eva Braun. Molokh is set at the Kelsteinhaus, his alpine retreat, during the spring of 1942. The dictator arrives accompanied by members of his inner circle to the fog-shrouded castle. There's a bodoir scene in which Eva's behavior alternates from mocking and demanding to fawning and obsequious. Attention to trivia and seemingly banal moments help demystify the Hitler persona. A dinner scene illustrates the animosity between Goebbels and Martin Bormann and their reverence towards their leader. A conversation between Hitler and a priest who visits to advocate leniency towards clergy is thought-provoking. Sokurov's visual feasts can only be properly appreciated in a theatre but I'm glad I can pop this disc into the player whenever I want.