Conspiracy — co-produced by HBO and BBC — gives a chilling peek at what might have happened at the Wannsee Conference in 1942 where the SS basically announced their solution to “The Jewish Question.” The film is brilliantly scripted and brilliantly acted by an all star cast including Kenneth Branagh and Stanley Tucci. You will also see a few regulars from Rome.
The fast-paced conversation of the men as they gather around the conference table is strikingly evil. As the men decide on how to execute “The Final Solution” using all number of euphemisms, Heydrich and Eichsmann belt out a stream of minutiae detailing exemptions and classifications with astounding fluency (translated transcript here). The portrayal is excellent.
The bureaucratic concerns are what makes the audience cringe, when the legal representative starts to worry how the “evacuations” will tie up civil courts with requests for divorces and land-claims. Labour for the war effort is a concern as well as the difficulty of disposal.
Conspiracy is well composed film that gives you the sense of watching a Shakespearean play — only more evil. Highly recommended.
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COMMENTS / 7 COMMENTS
Curzon added these pithy words on 30 Oct 07 at 1:25 amNice—is this ready for bit torrent download already?
Brent added these pithy words on 30 Oct 07 at 2:07 amIt’s an older movie and is out on DVD. It’s certainly better made than “Fatherland”.
Corpy added these pithy words on 30 Oct 07 at 4:01 amIf you haven’t had the chance to see it yet, Downfall (Der Untergang) is another brilliant film set in Nazi Germany. It follows the final days of Hitler and the collapse of the Third Reich. Bruno Ganz’s portrayal of Hitler is creepily authentic.
Younghusband added these pithy words on 30 Oct 07 at 4:06 amYep, saw Downfall a few years back. “Here Blondie, bite into this…” Good times.
IJ added these pithy words on 30 Oct 07 at 12:52 pmThis posting reminds us of the horrors that national governments can commit. Might makes right.
But after several unacceptable episodes, such as the massacre in Rwanda, world leaders finally agreed in 2005 that the international community should intervene in sovereign states to stop national governments from committing crimes against humanity. Implementation is proving difficult though. R2P
Curzon added these pithy words on 30 Oct 07 at 3:40 pmA similarly entertaining book and movie on a similar topic is “Remains of the Day,” and shows how “fashionable” fascism and racial theory was in the early 20th century.
Ralph Hitchens added these pithy words on 01 Nov 07 at 1:07 pmConspiracy is indeed an outstanding artistic achievement which, while taking some historical liberties with what little is known about the Wannsee Conference, nevertheless gives what I believe to be a fairly accurate snapshot of the Nazi regime at work, along with excellent portrayals of Heydrich (a complex and fascinating personality) and his flunky Eichmann. The entire cast was superb, but perhaps the most compelling performance was by the British actor Barnaby Kay as Rudolph Lange, a relatively junior SS officer attending in lieu of his superior. Kay’s Lange evidenced first-hand experience of both combat and mass murder that gave him an interesting perspective on the topic at hand.
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