Hitler's life story

Tuesday January 22 12:54 AM ET

By Josef Adalian

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - With the world's attention focused on the search for Osama bin Laden, CBS is developing a four-hour miniseries about another evildoer: Adolf Hitler.

The picture will explore the early life of the man who would be fuehrer, as well as the social and political environment that allowed him to rise to power.
The project's Canadian producer, Alliance Atlantis, has optioned the rights to two tomes by Hitler historian Ian Kershaw and will use Kershaw's best-selling ``Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris'' as the basis for the miniseries. The picture is being developed for the 2002-03 season.

``What we're attempting to do is something pure,'' said Ed Gernon, who will serve as an executive producer. ``We didn't want to go the popular literature route (about Hitler). We want to do a work that is very dangerous and indeed daring. It's an extraordinarily brave take that CBS has allowed us to do.''

Unlike most previous TV movies focusing on Nazi Germany or Hitler's actions, the CBS project will focus on the man himself. ``We are telling the story of an antihero, and he is the main character of the film,'' Gernon said, allowing that the miniseries would also devote a good chunk of time to how society allowed Hitler to come to power, and why it took so long before he was halted.

``Part of the story is a society that conspired to make (Hitler) possible -- and then stood back and did nothing to stop him,'' he said. ``He was a man underestimated by everyone, (particularly) those who tried to use him.'' Gernon said he and CBS are committed to creating a picture that paints a historically accurate, rather than sensationalistic, portrait of Hitler. The use of Kershaw's books will ensure that's the case, he said. ``We wanted to make sure we had the most unimpeachable source material,'' Gernon said. ``It took quite a bit of convincing to get this scholar from England to let an American network use his books to make this.''

While Gernon said he and fellow executive producer Peter Sussman will not go ``out of our way to create a sympathetic character'' of Hitler, the picture will not be heavy-handed in its portrait of his evil.
``We're going to put the story up on its feet and let the audience judge him,'' he said.
Coincidentally another Canadian producer, Lions Gate Films, is shooting a fictional feature about young Hitler's days as a starving artist, starring Noah Taylor (''Vanilla Sky''). The film, called ``Max,'' also stars John Cusack. It is scheduled for release in the fall.