I can almost hear a thousand youtubers rushing to make a "Hitler finds out about DMCA request" video.

When will these idiots ever learn? There can be no question that since these parodies started interest in the actual movie increased 1000%. It's like having the world create a free viral ad for you. How stupid do you have to be to shut down something that advertising studios are being paid millions to try and re-create?

In all honesty, I had not seen downfall before, but I did go rent it after seeing a few of these clips. I was curious to see the movie. I can't be the only one.

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Although many of the parodies were funny, there were two things that I always disliked about them.

1. They kind of trivialise a great scene, a great performance and a great movie.

2. They make the assumption that most of the world hears the actual meaning of the audio as gobblty-gook.



To get perspective on the second point, imagine if there was a German craze to to take a pivotal scene from the The Hurt Locker and overlay humorous culturally relevant German subtitles - not so funny -perhaps even offensive to native English speakers? Perhaps.

So I guess the only way you can make a parody of a movie scene is if:

1.) it's not really a significant scene that anyone would care about in the first place

2.) the original language is extraterrestrial

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I'd like to get @maatc or @conan's opinion on this.

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I'm not sure this qualifies as a parody of a movie scene. It's using a movie scene in its entirety to make commentary about something else.>> ^burdturgler:

So I guess the only way you can make a parody of a movie scene is if:
1.) it's not really a significant scene that anyone would care about in the first place
2.) the original language is extraterrestrial

Well, I don't want to debate semantics but you did call them parodies.
So wait, I guess I do want to debate semantics.
And "parody" is important because it falls under fair use.
- make a spoof of or make fun of
- a composition that imitates or misrepresents somebody's style, usually in a humorous way
- spoof: make a parody of; "The students spoofed the teachers"
- humorous or satirical mimicry

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^it's more of a parody of the thing it's lampooning- Xbox, or Microsoft- whatever.

Yeah, but what makes them funny is that it's an incredibly powerful performance of a universally reviled character. Add the concept that what he's ranting about is inconsequential, specific and irreverent and there's your comedy. Oh no - I just tried to explain humour.

Hitler is going to be pissed!

Chaplain made fun of ol Adolf in the Great Dictator-The Producers??...NOt a question of fair use s'matter of who owns what rights to the content colliding with who calls the youtube hotline-,1-800-THAT MY-SHIT-BITCH

There's been a disturbance on the sift, it's as if millions of Hitlers suddenly cried out in mock terror, and then were suddenly silenced.

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Someone needs to make that video. >> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

There's been a disturbance on the sift, it's as if millions of Hitler's suddenly cried out mock terror, and then were suddenly silenced.

@dag:

Hmm. I mentioned before that these downfall parodies are not nearly as funny for people who speak german.
And thats not a content issue, it is just hard to tune out and pretend you can´t understand what he is really saying. It´s like once you can read an alphabet, it is impossible to not read something that is written before your eyes.

MARK WAHLBERG HAS THREE NIPPLES!

See? It doesn´t work!
It´s the same when you watch these parodies even though you try really hard to focus on just the subtitles.

That doesn´t mean I don´t see the humour in these, though. I can totally see how this is hilarious for non german speakers. Some of them are quite well done and I have even posted some here on the sift.

I also don´t think it is disrespectful of the film or the scene. Actually I think it is quite the opposite! People turning this into a meme that shows the essence of hitlers nuttyness is really an applause to Bruno Ganzs brilliant performance in this film.
Also Hitlers outrageous and globally known character is just begging for parody, so I think it only figures they chose this tantrum scene.

And on the takedown request: I think its just a bunch of corporate pricks who act like kids saying "this is mine!". (btw: It could also be that these are just being deleted alongside other Constantin clips. Might not have been a specific request for the Downfall clips!)
Apparently director Oliver Hirschbiegel did not mind them and even thinks they are funny.

I remember another example by the way, where the boys from The Chasers war on Everything put subtitles under a Osama bin Laden video. I think those were quite brilliant!

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Thanks - for that @maatc, I can imagine that is very hard to tune out the actual speech. BTW, here's the video we all knew was coming - and it's very clever:

I don't see the clip being disrespectful - how many times has Bush been lampooned? The great and the good have had to bear being satirised. It really depends on how precious one is about national/historical figures. As a Brit I don't mind one iota if the target is the Queen, Gordon Brown, Churchill or whoever. I imagine most people here aren't too bothered. One exception might be Princess Diana - there are still alot of twits who get precious about her.

Bah, I'm glad it's going. Once is funny, twice is hilarious, but three times is a spanking.

And speaking of which, if only we could get rid of the "And I for one, welcome our new [insert your favorite here] overlords."

Oh, and Wilhelm screams.

You really want to butter my biscuit? Then make a Hitler video about him railing against the placement of Wilhelm screams in everything, only to have him finally break down and welcome his new Foley artist overlords....

Saw the article on slashdot last night and proceeded to *dead as many as I could find.

I admit I enjoyed it, too. I'm so sick of these.

Brilliant! Fuck em if they can'take a joke is the first thing that pops into the skull-They're roght you know...the folks who borught you the subtitles...You Tube is a bunch of fucking pussies.

See update to this story here:

http://parody.videosift.com/talk/Downfall-Hitler-Parodies-Yanked-by-YouTube-PART-DEUX

Yeah YouTube is being very fucking evil here.

Instead of following the law for DMCA, they have created a new tier of AUTOMATIC takedown that is YouTube voluntary and NOT by DMCA, so you couldn't even sue if these tools are misused.

They basically created a pre-DMCA system where large corporations can blanket remove anything they want even knowing it is fair use, and you have to barter with YT to put it back up, in which time the company gets a notice that you are claiming it is fair use and they can then use that in court if they actually look at it then. The corporation then can submit a DMCA takedown.

I'm not sure what happens if you argue the "claims" thing and claim fair use, it gets reinstated and then DMCA'd. If you don't fight it after that does it go away? Does youtube close your account for abuse?