Joseph Goebbels is one of the primary symbols of Germany's Nazi regime and a 20th century icon of maniacal cruelty. His name is synonymous with cynical, unscrupulous, yet highly effective propaganda. In their documentary, Lutz Hachmeister and Michael Kloft show for the first time how Goebbels continually reinvented himself - from his early days as a radical "popular socialist" to the final hours in Hitler's bunker. Drawing from his extensive diaries, the film lets Goebbels speak for himself (through the voice of Academy Award-nominated actor Kenneth Branagh), as never before seen historical footage from German archives traces the life of the second most powerful man of the Third Reich, detailing his initial attraction to the Nazi party and his adoration of and dedication to Hitler. The result is a fascinating window into a man who careened extravagantly between self-pity, wild extermination fantasies, and political excesses - the man behind Hitler.

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