How was Hitler in 'private'?

[PatrickBateman]

Hi,

I don't know how to type that question in English, but how was Hitler like in private? Most of us do "know" him from his famous speeches when he speaks loud and moves a lot with his hands etc.

I recently re-watched Downfall, great movie. Do you people think Bruno Ganz did an great job acting like Hitler? In my opinion he is the best acting and looking but I can't really tell because I don't know how Hitler was off camera.

[Wordsworth]

His demeanor during speech-making was largely theatrical and had been learned during the late 20s when he was trying to hone his skills and refine his message.

In private, Hitler could converse normally and liked to do so. He could be friendly and considerate; he could also be pedantic...keeping his staff up well into the night going over the same old stories of the Party's early days, the political scene at the time, the Jews, WWI, etc.

He had a moderate sense of humor, when he told the jokes, that is. And he had a great memory. New staff members were warned that he knew their names and noticed them whether they thought he did or not. He asked about their families, sent gifts to their weddings, chose thoughtful gifts at Christmas.

And Ganz did a very good job as Hitler.

[Panssari Salama]

Here's the one surviving recording of Hitler speaking in private. To my knowledge it was used by the actor Ganz when he studied for his role.

[Gorque]

Do you people think Bruno Ganz did an great job acting like Hitler? In my opinion he is the best acting and looking but I can't really tell because I don't know how Hitler was off camera.

I personally prefer Oliver Masucci's rendition of Hitler.

[Jan-Hendrik]

Have never met him, can't tell....

Jan-Hendrik

[Nickdfresh]

...
He had a moderate sense of humor, when he told the jokes, that is...

[GoeringsPetLion]

He had a moderate sense of humor, when he told the jokes, that is.

Schirach said that he used to joke about the Saxons by imitating their dialect.

His voice:
Traudl Junge said that Hitler's private voice was deep, sonorous, warm and melodious. Example of Hitler's voice when he did not scream:


By the way, this is a very interesting audio document. At 3:03, you can hear a "Geisterstimme" (ghost voice = broadcast interrupted by a hostile radio station): "Das Jahr 1945 muss das Ende der Hitler-Diktatur sein." ("The year 1945 must be the end of the Hitler dictatorship.")

In my opinion, Hitler never screamed at such a high pitch like Ganz. (He surely screamed sometimes at his generals, but at a lower pitch).

[Br. James]

Hitler's public speaking style provides a glimpse of his normal speaking voice. His style was to take his time warming the audience up and warming up to them, and that is when he used his "indoor voice." His vocal style was soft and deep at those early moments of a speech, and when he felt that his audience was receptive to his message, he turned up the volume in his voice and began to gesticulate. But in those first moments we hear the Hitler that his 'inner circle' heard as they sat around the fireplace at the Berghof or in his private quarters at the Old Reichschancellery, normally in the middle of the night, when he would chat on and on about his life, about German history, and about his plans for a great future.

Br. James

[Walt]

Do you people think Bruno Ganz did an great job acting like Hitler? In my opinion he is the best acting and looking but I can't really tell because I don't know how Hitler was off camera.

I personally prefer Oliver Masucci's rendition of Hitler.

Yes, me too. Doesn't mean that Ganz hadn't done a great job portraying him, but I think Masucci truly caught what Hitler would've been like (the everyday Hitler). Yet again, between the two whom I consider the best Hitler actors to date, none really matched his voice (at least that in the Mannerheim Recording).