Conspiracy

Rating:
Summary: Great Dramatization, Great Tucci/Branagh
Review: Yes, it is difficult to get the most accurate information available with regard to the Wannsee Conference. Primarily, because the Nazis destroyed some of the documentation for it. However, as one who has read the available documentation about the Conference (thanks to collegiate professor of social history w/regards to the War Periods) the overall structure of the dramatization holds up the minutes of the Conference. Though we can never really know what was discussed, it is likely that the content is rather accurate.

Besides the accuracy of this dramatization, the basis of this 90 minute film is dialogue...both spoken and unspoken. The two major peformers, Stanley Tucci and Kenneth Branagh perform their respective parts with chilling accuracy. Tucci as Eichmann is a phenomonal thing to behold. Branagh's Heydrich is also chillingly accurate and a wonderful thing to watch unfold. The secondary cast performs well, with emphasis on Colin Firth's part.

Once again, HBO does a fabulous job with Conspiracy. Wonderfully written, splendidly acted, and approaches a diffucult topic (not only to discuss but to research) with as much accuracy as possible. Dark and haunting, Conspiracy is probably one of my favorite Dramatizations of Nazi policy and WW2.

If you don't know much about the Wannsee Conference, Conspiracy is a good introduction to the material, with enough power behind it to inspire you to research it on your own...I know this for a fact because this is what it did for me.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: When people look back at World War II, the concentration camps, and what the Nazi's called the Jewish Problem and their solution to it, we always hear the same question; How could something like this happen? Here is your answer. We see educated men sit and discuss over lunch in a matter of fact manner how to murder millions of people. Though you can feel some moments of pity for the few men who realize the horror of what they were discussing and tried to argue against it, those moments quickly fade when you see them give way to the others present. If you doubt such things are still possible, watch this movie and see how easily and nonchalantly these men sentenced to death so many people, and the utter contempt they had for them. A very good movie, but it can't help but being disturbing as well when you remember this isn't fiction, it happened.

Rating:
Summary: Worth Watching
Review: I had the opportunity of viewing Conspiracy during a Holocaust Education workshop for teachers. It is very accurate (from what I have read) and does show the inner-works of the Wansee Conference.

I believe that the film was either filmed on location or at a place that was very much similar to the Wannsee House. I had the opportunity to travel there this past summer with a group of teachers. I was struck by how much the movie prepared me to think about the house and it's importance in the creation and implementation of the "Final Solution". If you are thinking of showing it to students, you may need to explain to them how the conference was conducted and give them some background -- it has lots of dialogue and plenty of "under currents" that can be hard to follow if you are not familiar with the "power plays" that were going on at that table....lots of ego at that table. It is important to remember that many of these individuals were sent by the "major players" in the Nazi regime to attend the conference. By not attending the conference himself, Hitler and his administrative members could claim "plausable deniability" (so they thought) if anything were to go wrong with the plan. It is hard to believe that this beautiful house that is located on beautifully-decorated ground and of of a spectacular lake could have played such a major role in WWII. Chilling!

Rating:
Summary: Inaccurate account, but worth a look
Review: This is a good film, as long as you don't know the true details of the actual Wansee Conference, which took place in January 1942. "Conspiracy" is loosely based on that fateful conference, with blatant fabrications and bloodthirsty dialogue added for dramatic effect.
In reality, the minutes of the Wansee conference made no direct references to exterminations, gas chambers, etc.; rather the subject matter was pretty dry, mainly focusing on Jewish population statistics and deportation theories. Subtle hints of what was to come ,however, were apparent in some words uttered by Heydrich, Mueller, and Eichmann; most of the other attendees left the conference considering it uneventful and wondering what the point was. There was never a written order by Hitler to exterminate Jews; rather, this directive was issued orally to Himmler, who passed it on down to his henchmen. (The only written order ever found was one in which Hitler ordered the execution of Soviet Commissars.) Despite these distortions of facts, the performances were great and the feel of the whole thing was pretty chilling. Oh, I must point out one huge mistake that can't go unnoticed. In the "features" section of the menu there's a brief clip of "Heydrich" with his face highlighted in white so you can see it. Well, that man is NOT Heydrich!! Heydrich is the tall one standing right behind this guy, and you can only see him for a second...

Rating:
Summary: chilling and engaging
Review: It is certainly true that this is not the most accurate of historical documents, but then any historian would tell you that all history is in the interpretation and so the movie is as useful as your interpretation. The performances are excellent, Branagh, in particular, is outstanding, he is every bit the portrayal of the chillingly pleasant monster. The message is powerful, the acting and direction cold, calm and calculated - within 1 hour the holocaust was decided upon; the moment where the topic of discussion is how many and how fast can they be culled? is particularly sickening.

From an historical perspective i found the following very interesting: Hitler based his party structure on a chaos theory in that he had simple overlapping functions, so that his subordinates would always be engaged in in-fighting, instead of challenging him. It worked remarkably well. Here, in motion, the director shows the in-fighting, but on this part of domestic policy (internal to the Reich, at any rate) the decision was swift and unanimous, Heydrich alone held the power. Utterly intriguing.

What may make this more interesting for anyone, might be to read Hannah Arendt's account of Eichmann's trial in Jerusalem, which is published by Penguin.

Rating:
Summary: The Nazis come up with the "Final Solution" over lunch
Review: "Conspiracy" is based on the original minutes of the Wannsee Conference held on January 20, 1942 in Berlin where the Nazi worked out "The Final Solution." The of this HBO production is something of a misdirection, because this hour long meeting that would result in the death of 6 million European Jews might have been secret, but it was not exactly clandestine. This is not a meeting where the participants made their plans in hushed whispers, but something that eerily smacks of a board meeting at a large company. These men were going to become mass murderers on a scale rarely seen in human history, but they seem more like bureaucrats than anything else, which is just another level of the horror involved here.

"Conspiracy" goes beyond the recreation of this infamous meeting for the 1984 documentary "The Wannsee Conference," both of which are based upon the lone surviving record of the gather of 15 Nazi officers head by General Reinhard Heydrich (Kenneth Branagh). Included in the group are Lt. Colonel Adolf Eichmann (Stanley Tucci) and Dr. Wilhelm Stuckart, Interior Ministry (Colin Firth), and within an hour they come up with their solution to the "Jewish question." However, this is a sense in "Conspiracy" that they are not so much debating what it to be done but being asked to sign on to the plan that Heydrich is revealing directly and indirectly throughout the meeting in his quest for "unanimity."

This time around the horror is in the details, as these men try to come up with the most efficient way of killing and disposing of that many people while one guy does the math. Given that we know what is going to happen what stands out are not those who cannot wait to start the killing as much as those who have "reservations." Stuckart, who wrote the Nuremberg codes, is aghast at what these new policies will mean for the rule of law in Nazi Germany, as the courts are filled with divorce cases separating Jewish and Aryan spouses. However, Struckart makes it clear he hates Jews as much as the next person at that table. Then there is Dr. Wilhelm Kritzinger (David Threlfall), Permanent Secretary of the Reich Chancellery, who obviously has misgivings on moral grounds, but ultimately can offer no more obstacle than a story, which serves as the final statement on the proceedings when related by Heydrich to Eichmann after the meeting.

The end of the film, where we are informed as to what happened to the participants, is particularly interesting. I was surprised how few of these 15 Nazis were actually executed for war crime. Several of them would die during the war while others would be imprisoned, but a surprising number were released for lack of evidence. I was also interested to find out exactly who failed to destroy their copy of the minutes, although there is nothing particularly insightful about the revalation beyond satisfying my curiosity. In terms of Holocaust films "Conspiracy" a footnote to the mass exterminations, but of interest for what it provide in terms of rare insights into what the Nazi bureaucracy was actually thinking as it launched the "Final Solution."

Rating:
Summary: Another excellent HBO produced movie to buy
Review: I was so excited when I saw this movie being offfered. This movie is not about action, this is about serious dialogue. The script and the cast were outstanding. The subject matter however was and still is utterly evil. The skills of Branagh and Tucci are superb. This is about an actual roundtable discussing gas chamber methods of exterminating Jews. One of the characters of the film remarked how he found it humorous, the bodies turned pink during the experiment,as well as the efficiency of the program.(beyond demented). These individuals thought they were clever(most evil people do) to burn all traces of the meeting, a transcript was found, another fine example how evil deeds are exposed in it's season.A good film for aspiring actors and writers to watch. If you like HBO produced movies this is definitely one to own, it would be on the top 30 movies of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Haunting
Review: The Holocaust is one of humanity's greatest tragedies, and its mention brings up images of swastikas, death camps, mass graves, and gas ovens. It's some thing you can't talk about easily, and can barely joke about unless you have no heart. This film is about the Holocaust, and while you may see a swastika arm-band and hear a few Heil Hitlers, you won't find any violence or harrowing images; this film is only rated R due to the use of the f bomb a few times. However, this film can be just as gut wrenching as any Holocaust movie you've seen, because it's all about the people who planned it...and the fact they were just as human as you and me.

The fate of eleven million European Jews was decided over a meal by several higher ups in the German government (although not Hitler). Led by Reinhard Heydrich (played brilliantly, as usual, by Kenneth Branagh) and his aide (play brilliantly, also as usual, by Stanley Tucci) as they explain the plan. They explain it so simply, as if they're building a house, and in a very intellegent manner. In fact, it has to be explained at some point in the conversation that "deportation" is just a fancy word for murder.

Many of those present do not agree with the methods, but not because they have sympathy for the Jews. One somber delegate thinks the Jews should be removed from common society, but that murder is too extreme. Another delegate objects to the plan...but only because he feels the procedures Heydrich draws up will contradict his already enforced anti-semite laws. In the end, it is revealed how it will be accomplished: by none other than the gas chambers of the concentration camps.

Like movies such as "My Dinner With Andre" or "12 Angry Men" this movie takes a storyline built entirely on dialogue and proves it can be fascinating. These are characters that joke about sterilizing a whole race as if the Jews were animals, and the lack of music through out the whole thing (except for the ending narration) adds a good level of realism. I found myself watching this movie three times after I had rented it to closely study how the different characters interacted and treated this serious issue.

If you are interested in World War II, German history, the Holocaust, or you just like drama, then you will enjoy this movie. Some may not be able to watch it because of the subject matter, but it is definately worth your time. These are not propoganda style Nazis, nor are they charicatures of Hitler, but they are just ordinary people.

Rating:
Summary: It really is brilliant
Review: The writing, direction and acting are simply superb. Months after watching this DVD I still think about scenes and dialogue. There are fascinating little touches that are easy to look past but you realize that everything has meaning.

An example: near the very end of the movie, as it's winding down, a young maid hops on a bicycle ridden by a young man and they laugh in the delight of one another as they ride away from the mansion. . . where the decision has been made to destroy the Jews in Europe.

Branaugh's Heydrich is mesmerizing.

Rent this movie then read Edouard Calic's "Reinhard Heydrich."

Rating:
Summary: Conspiracy: Passion and Enthusiasm for Evil Deeds
Review: There is a definite reason that many of Amazon.com's most favored and prolific reviewers have reviewed this DVD, and what I would call a companion piece, the German film (available on Amazon) from the mid 1980s titled "The Wannsee Conference" (which did receive two important 1988 American film and video awards).

I will start with a sad and perplexing comment. Many Jews I have asked, and most non-Jews, do not know what the Wannsee Conference IS. This is an abomination and an indictment of--of what? Our secondary education? Jewish education? Religious education? I do not know the answer, but I do put this event in the class of many distinct ones that led to the death and maiming of millions upon millions of men, women, and children worldwide.

In the space of about 90 minutes (the length of each film), Reinhard Heydrich, head of the SD and SS (which when I ask many Americans, I find are acronyms that draw blank stares). One transcript survived, ironically, that of attendee Martin Luther, found in a file (according to official records) evidently having nothing to do with The Final Solution To the Jewish Question (Endlösung der Judenfrage). This, despite Heydrich's admonition that all copies are to be destroyed, and the contents discussed only with superiors

This should be an relatively tolerable introduction to the horrors of the period amongst the aspiring cognoscenti (even those who would not watch a gritty portrayal of war such as "Glory". This will stimulate discussion and further reading and viewing of equally important works (all available right here on Amazon.com). It was produced in the year 2000; anyone who does not know its content (whether one considers actual numbers, portrayals, and proposed Final Solution techniques used intellectually debatable) cannot purport to be knowledgeable of the issues underlying the War on Terrorism. It should lead the view to a better understanding of what Fascism is, why it flourishes and why it should be feared. Hopefully, it can also lead to a deeper understanding of the foundations of the American Republic, so hotly debated, which are supposed to protect us from such ignoble forms of government.