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MykNobody
Reviews
The Empty Mirror (1996)
Good writing but mediocre casting
The Empty Mirror is like a stage production, almost entirely a monologue. It is Adolph Hitler's fictitious self-examination (interrupted by a detached Sigmund Freud to give his objective analysis). I really enjoyed the writing and performances. The production is a bit cheap, but for what it is, it still works. My main complaint is the casting of Norman Rodway as Adolph Hitler. He portrays the insanity of Hitler with painfully acute skill. But, his long face and British accent breaks the illusion, taking the audience out of the story, and I feel he was just a poor choice for the part of such a well-known historical figure. The Roles of Goering, Goebbels, and Freud on the other hand were cast very well, with excellent performances.
The story illuminates the power of illusions and how someone could delude themselves into believing almost anything. It humanizes Hitler a bit, examining how he destroyed himself in his lust for power, and how the same thing could happen again.