I read Robert Harris's best-selling novel of the same name years ago, and suspected that the 1994 film adaptation of Fatherland would fall well short of what the book achieved. After all, the movie was in the 'made for television' category in the '94 Golden Globe Awards. Usually, 'made for television' is synonymous for 'crap'.

However, I'm pleased to announce that Fatherland, the movie, well and truly exceeded my expectations. I was rapt with it!

Fatherland is a thriller set in an alternative history. Picture this. It's 1964 and the Greater German Reich is alive and well with a 75 year old Adolf Hitler at the helm. The allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 failed, and a detente was forced after Germany developed atomic weapons and threatened to use them on Britain. America won her war in the Pacific by devastating Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thus an alternative Cold War has simmered between Nazi Germany and the United States for 20 years, come 1964.

That's about to change though. US President Joseph Kennedy is about to arrive in Berlin for talks coinciding with Hitler's 75th birthday celebrations. It's clear that the world's two superpowers are on the verge of an historic treaty and closer ties. This is the setting for Fatherland.

On the eve of Kennedy's meeting with an aging Hitler, two high ranking Nazi Party officials (founding lads from the 1920s and 1930s) are found murdered. Dying with these former bigshots is a secret that could prevent the monumental collusion between Hitler and Kennedy.

Enter SS Major Xavier March (Rutger Hauer) and a naive but feisty American journalist (Miranda Richardson). Circumstances see them as an unlikely partnership in a race to discover the Nazi's sinister secret before it's too late and an unsuspecting United States is in bed with the Greater German Reich. Do they succeed? You'll have to watch the movie!

Now, one of the things that makes this movie extremely watchable is the concept of a Nazi Germany that's alive and well in the 1960s. Berlin has been rebuilt after the devastating Allied bombings of the 1940s. Victorious, the Nazis went ahead with many of Albert Speers' wild architectural ideas. The film-makers and special effects boffins do a fantastic job of depicting the giant Arc of Triumph (which is several times larger than Paris's Arc de Triumph) and a huge domed auditorium that can seat 100,000 people. It's all very fascinating, if in a disturbing way, to see what may have occurred in history. Imagine swastika armbands being worn by office workers filing in and out of 1960s skyscrapers. The depiction of this alternative world is flawless.

Acting-wise, Rutger Hauer, Miranda Richardson, and the supporting actors do a great job. I personally think Hauer's been an under-rated actor. Yes, most of his films have been well entrenched in the "B" grade, but he really shows his talent in Fatherland. He's very convincing as an SS officer. For Richardson, the role earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Together, our heroine and unlikely hero combine to pull us into their world. I found myself rivetted to the dialogue.

Ignore the 'made for television' tag on this one. It's superbly made, and runs fast and tight like a good thriller should. I can honestly recommend this one. It's a hidden gem down at the video store.

A final word. It's not necessary to have read Robert Harris's novel. This movie stands alone.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older