Israeli theaters to brave Hitler

An Academy Award-nominated movie about Hitler will be shown to general audiences in Israel next month. The distributor said she made the decision after getting positive feedback from a test screening.

Nurit Shani, owner of the Lev cinema chain, said 1,000 Israelis invited to the test screening last week voted overwhelmingly in favor of showing “Der Untergang,” or “The Downfall,” to the public.

The German movie, which recounts Hitler’s final days in a Berlin bunker, has been criticized in some quarters for its humanizing portrait of the Nazi leader, who is seen stroking dogs and chatting amiably with female aides. It was nominated for best foreign film at this year’s Oscars.

Shani, whose parents and in-laws escaped the Holocaust, said she was well aware of the sensitivity of the subject.

“But I’m not going to avoid it because we can’t ignore it,” she said. “Furthermore, I’m not a censor. I hate censorship.”

Shani said the film would open in three Israeli cities May 19. To avoid offending anyone, she said she wanted to wait until after Israel’s annual Holocaust Memorial Day on May 5 before showing the film. Eventually, she hopes to screen the film at all seven of her theaters.