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VIDEO / YouTube pranksters have Hitler raving about Obama, Xbox
By Ronit Roccas, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: YouTube, Israel News, Hitler

A new form of entertainment has made its way onto the Web: Taking the central scene from The Downfall, Oliver Hirschbiegel's controversial film about Hitler's final days in his Berlin bunker, leaving the soundtrack and images intact, but adding subtitles that are in no way related to what is actually being said.

Internet pranksters, who have already managed to produce dozens of these clips and upload them onto YouTube, almost always choose the same scene, in which Hitler stands near a large map, surrounded by frightened army officers.

Readers should note the embedded clips contain strong language.




In the original scene from the film, Hitler finally understands that the war is over and Germany has been defeated. In the YouTube clips, which are no longer than four minutes apiece, the subtitles have been altered to create various alternative scenarios.

In one, the officers inform the Fuhrer that his Xbox Live account has been frozen and that he won't be able to play against other users on the Web. In another scene, which has received around one million page views, Hitler is notified that Cristiano Ronaldo has left Manchester United for Real Madrid. A third one shows Hitler being notified that there are problems with Microsoft's operating system Vista, and another shows him railing against Hillary Clinton's defeat to Barack Obama.




In all of the clips, the Fuhrer, during his final days in the bunker, reacts badly. His hands are shaking, his forehead gleams with sweat and he doesn't stop screaming.

Satirical takes on Hitler, both good and bad, have existed since World War II. Charlie Chaplin made The Great Dictator in 1940, and many others followed him, including Monty Python and the creators of animated television series such as Family Guy and The Simpsons.

But on the Internet, you don't need to be a professional; you just need a computer, basic video-editing tools, a little historical awareness and a sense of humor - and not necessarily a good one. The laughs will be the result of the gap between the dictator going crazy at a critical moment and the nonsense coming out of his mouth.

A story published recently in The Guardian reported that the first parody based on The Downfall was created in Spain and uploaded in August 2006. However, Chris Bowley, a 20-year-old student in Bristol, says he came up with the idea independently last year when he posted a clip showing Hitler flipping out after being banned from playing Microsoft's Xbox Live games console.

The Downfall's producers aren't too keen on this new Web game. According to The Guardian, they even threatened to sue Bowley for copyright infringement, and he removed his clip, which had received approximately three million views. But threats haven't exactly helped the producers, as similar postings about the Xbox still exist on YouTube alongside dozens of other clips showcasing geek humor.



Related articles:
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