Real History and Box-office Hitler

Posted Tuesday, January 14, 2003

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The original script . . . was rewritten in consultation with religious leaders and historians, CBS President Leslie Moonves said.

Sacramento Bee, Monday, January 13, 2003

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CBS revises 'Hitler' script, plans donation to charity

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - CBS, under scrutiny for a TV miniseries about Hitler's early years and rise to power, revised the script and plans a donation to a Jewish or Holocaust-related group.

The four-hour miniseries, tentatively titled "Hitler: Origins of Evil," has begun filming in Prague and is scheduled to air during May sweeps. The original script, drawn from the book "Hitler, 1899-1936: Hubris" by Ian Kershaw, was rewritten in consultation with religious leaders and historians, CBS President Leslie Moonves said Monday.

At a meeting of the Television Critics Association, Moonves was asked about the attention given the miniseries. Jewish leaders have expressed concern the movie will make Hitler a sympathetic figure by humanizing him.

"If you want to play it safe and put on milquetoast, then you get criticized. ... There are times as a broadcaster you do take chances," he said.

The network has decided to make a donation in connection with the film, Moonves said. The amount and the recipient have yet to be determined, network spokesman Chris Ender said.

"We simply felt like it's the right thing to do," Ender said.

Robert Carlyle ("The Full Monty") portrays Hitler as a young man and in his rise to power in Nazi Germany before World War II.