There were only four other reviews of this episode when I came here to comment on it, and I'm surprised quite frankly at the short shrift given to the story by other viewers. When Roald Dahl states in his introduction that it was a true story with the real names of the people involved, I withheld judgment until the program was over and had a chance to check. I had read a couple of books about Adolph Hitler many years ago, so the names of his parents weren't fresh in my mind as the story began. You never really consider how the lives of great or infamous men and women originated, so to see it demonstrated in this 'Tales of the Unexpected' was quite a jolt. Even a monster like Hitler was an innocent and helpless baby at one time. He was the fourth of six children born to Alois and Klara, the first three who died were correctly identified as Otto, Gustav and Ida. What's not mentioned because it wasn't needed, was that the couple had two more children who survived after the birth of Adolphus. Knowing what we do today about Hitler and his Nazi reign of terror, the words of mother Klara cited in my summary line above carries an even more poignant and prophetic meaning.
Review of Genesis & Catastrophe
