Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate

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Jens B @Jens97 07/21/2024 I used to criticize the habit of colorizing archival footage but I have to admit: It works very well in the context of this documentary. I also really liked the mixture of archival footage, interview footage, and fictionalized scenes. Very moving! See more Thom A @RT67629264 09/08/2023 It could happen again. It wasn't that long ago. The undercurrents are still there. A must for all those who won't watch it. See more Alejandro E @Alex970 08/11/2023 La cara menos conocida de la vida nocturna en Berlín antes, durante y después del nazismo. El documental pone sobre la mesa el cómo la intolerancia de géneros ha sido un fantasma que ha estado presente en todo momento en Alemania. See more Alex F @RT30593114 07/04/2023 Some really shocking parallels between then and present day. A very important watch. See more Lorenzo B @RT12410080 07/03/2023 Engrossing but most of all terrifying in light of the rise of entirely misguided anti-trans (and lgbtq) sentiments in the US and beyond…a stark, sobering reminder of what's possible. Still. See more Kenton M @RT04464729 06/29/2023 Netflix's 'Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate' uses a combination of historical footage and re-enactments to draw us, literally, into the heart of queer and trans liberation in Germany in the 1920s and early '30s, and the subsequent eradication with the rise of Nazism. By exploring history not through the impact of numbers, but by tracing the personal connections of lovers and friends at that time, we get drawn in to the pain and loss in a real and human way that many historical documentaries fail to reach. We begin with famous sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld and his Institute for Sexual Research, and several other denizens of this vibrant nightclub 'Eldorado' at the heart of queer Berlin. We meet key figures, some of whom work at the Institute (which provided knowledge, medical care, and safety to the queer and trans communities). But we also meet others there in combinations of re-enactments and photos from the time, from world champion tennis player Gottfried von Cramm, to Hitler's close personal friend and head of the SA Ernst Röhm. We see, and recognise, the freedoms afforded these people, and some of the first openly trans people in our history. You are likely to also recognise the populist ignorance that fed the book-burnings back then and fuel the book banning of today. Having queer and trans historians share their perspectives on the close relationship of two of the first trans women to undergo gender-affirming surgery - Toni Ebel and Charlotte Charlaque provides a heartfelt perspective that many documentaries lack. Interviews with still-living 100-year-old Walter Arlen boyhood summer love of his best friend 'Lumpi', later lost to the camps, are poignant and heart-breaking. A respectful film that neither dumbs down the past, and makes no assumptions about people's knowledge of the major turning points of the horror at that time, 'Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate' unfurls at an engaging pace and doesn't let you go. You need to keep watching to find out who might survive; not just the war but the continued ill-treatment of queer and trans people after the 'liberation' that the end of WWII brought to many others. I loved Gottfried von Cramm's relationship with Jewish actor Manasse Herbst, and the maturity of exploring their three-way relationship with Gottfried's wife, as much as I hated the treatment that such a brave man received from a country that once heralded him as a hero. Released in time for Pride month, this documentary will have a much longer shelf life and work its way into many people's hearts. Enjoy. See more Read all reviews

Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate

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