Hitler’s Secretary tells all

Traudl Junge served as Hitler’s personal secretary from the height of World War II until his last days in a Berlin bunker. Quiet for more than fifty years, she finally speaks about her experiences in André Heller’s documentary, Blind Spot Hitler’s Secretary.

Junge’s story is realized through Heller’s emphasis on her words. The documentary is entirely shot in single-camera interview with the elderly, yet compelling, Junge. The interview is in her native German and the English subtitles are somewhat frustrating but do not detract from the power of her story.

Heller rightly refrains from inserting himself in the dialogue too much, allowing Junge to tell her own story. Heller cuts between the several interviews he conducted with Junge over many hours, weaving a 90-minute narrative of her time working for the Third Reich.

Junge’s story begins around the time she began working as a secretary after moving to Berlin. She was awarded the honor of working for Hitler after a typing competition among government secretaries a big opportunity for the young frauline. She served with Hitler as one of his private secretaries from 1942 until his suicide before the German surrender in 1945.

Hitler’s eccentricities are highlighted by this glimpse at day-to-day life in his inner circle. Junge details Hitler’s affection for his dog and his aloofness toward women. It is a rare glimpse at one of the great enigmas of the last century.

Junge also addresses her own attempt to come to terms with Hitler’s Final Solution. She recounts that it was never discussed and rarely mentioned in Hitler’s office. Junge admits to her own naiveté, regretfully, and looks back, noting that she could have known what was going on if she had chosen to.

Her remorse is sobering. For nearly 60 years she says she has fought to come to terms with the role she played, albeit indirectly. It seems this film is a long-awaited outlet that she taps into and from which she pours forth words that have been buried deep inside for a very long time.

Heller, an Austrian Jew, takes this catharsis very seriously and allows Junge’s words to intimately paint a portrait not only of Hitler, but of Junge’s struggle to face up to the defining moments of her life. These words seem a quiet catharsis for Junge a little old lady cleansing her soul of actions many years past.

Junge also released her memoirs shortly before Blind Spot was released, but she passed away soon after its debut last year at the Berlin Film Festival. She was 81 years old.

This film opens a new door for Heller, whose career has ranged from actor to multi-media artist. He is joined for production by Othmar Schmiderer, an experienced documentarian who shares a similar background with Heller. The film is a very personal creation, and the minimal production enhances the intimacy of the interview experience.

Unfortunately, the film’s greatest weaknesses stem from the lack of production value throughout. The video stock on which Blind Spot appears to be shot would be forgivable, if not for the ambient sound intrusions that frequently permeate the soundtrack. Subtitles make clear what Traudl is saying, but outside construction sounds frequently creep in during one of the primary interviews.

But production values are not the driving force behind Blind Spot. The documentary is propelled by the powerful experiences and stories that pour out of Traudl. Years of silence or repression have not dulled her memory, nor eased the difficulty of coming to terms with the time she worked for the criminal she now sees Hitler to have been.