A Kitten for Hitler
| A Kitten for Hitler | |
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| Directed by | Ken Russell |
| Produced by | Dan Schreiber |
| Written by | Ken Russell and Emma Millions |
| Starring | Phil Pritchard, Rosey Thewlis, Rusty Goffe |
| Edited by | Michael Bradsell |
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Release date
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Running time
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8 minutes 20 seconds |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £10,000 (estimated) |
A Kitten for Hitler, also known as Ein Kitten fur Hitler, is a 2007 short film directed by British director Ken Russell. It was created by Russell with the intention of it being offensive. Due to the nature of the film there were some problems with casting, resulting in a dwarf actor appearing in the lead role of a Jewish child. It was released on Comedybox.tv on 1 July 2007.
In 1941, a Jewish boy named Lenny is watching a newsreel at a theatre in Brooklyn with his mother when one featuring Adolf Hitler appears. The crowd boos. The child questions why no one likes him and wonders what Santa will give him for Christmas. His mother tells him that no one will get Hitler anything for Christmas. The boy travels to Germany to give Hitler a kitten for Christmas. Once he arrives, he presents the boxed gift to Hitler, who initially thinks it is a bomb, and throws it to Eva Braun. She opens it and gives the kitten to Hitler, who is apparently deeply moved. Hitler's mood changes when he discovers that the child is Jewish and has a swastika-shaped birthmark on his stomach. Hitler orders Eva to kill the child and make his skin into a lampshade, which the couple then have on their bedside table lamp. Following the war, the lamp is returned to the boy's mother who keeps it as a memento. When she touches it, it supernaturally lights up of its own accord and the swastika magically transforms into a Star of David. A miracle is proclaimed. The president awards the Purple Heart to the lampshade.
Following a discussion about film censorship with British broadcaster Melvyn Bragg while they worked on The South Bank Show, Russell was challenged by Bragg to create a film which Russell himself would want banned.A Kitten for Hitler was the result of the process that followed. After Russell sent Bragg an initial draft, Bragg responded "Ken, if ever you make this film and it is shown, you will be lynched."
Adolf Hitler was played by Phil Pritchard. Those auditioning for the part were asked to attend the casting dressed as Hitler, creating a bizarre waiting room scene. Due to the content of the film, dwarf actor Rusty Goffe was hired to play the role of the boy as Russell could not convince any child actor's parents to allow their son to appear. The child's mother was played by Russell's wife Lisi, and the costumes were organised by his daughter. The entire film was filmed in a studio in Shoreditch against a green screen with the backgrounds added in digitally later. The film was broadcast on Comedybox.tv, after Russell was introduced to Dan Schreiber by screenwriter Emma Millions.
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