compared to the 2001 production "Conspiracy" which was criticized by some for the missing detail accuracy, this new production can be seen on ZDF German TV next week 24th January at 8.15 pm. Stefan.
I wasn't really aware that the 2001 production "Conspiracy" was much criticised for lacking accuracy or details... was this mainly a criticism in Germany and was it dubbed or subtitled and/or both versions perhaps? Conspiracy (HBO/BBC). One inevitability expects though such criticism with anything that is essentially a dramatisation and contains additional dialogue for which there can have been no record, and will have been edited for time. https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_(2001_film) I expect that the ZDF German TV version will perhaps make it to BBC4, eventually or maybe some other means of viewing it will be available. Is it also dramatised? Or rather more documentary? And how long does it run for? All the best, Rm. ----- x ---- x ----- Also - "Rotten tomatoes" - review(s) - Conspiracy
Good Evening Rm, I was quoting from the German TV Newsletter "Prisma" They just said:"many people Thank you for the 2001 production. Very interesting indeed. I was quoting from a German TV Newsflash, no details of the critics were mentioned. Following next Monday we can compare both productions. It looks like a mix of drama/documentation in German. And, I fear no subtitles. Timing: about two hours. If you send me a PM, we can talk about both productions over the phone sometime later next week. Stefan.
Thanks Lindele / Stefan, I think I was thinking of the (largely positive) reviews such as IMDb and rotten tomatoes etc. I found that there is an article, online... it's a short pdf but can be googled for online.... "Review of Conspiracy (BBC/HBO Films), directed by Frank Pierson from a script by Loring Mandel Alan E. Steinweis University of Nebraska - Lincoln, asteinweis1@unl.edu Conspiracy is a docudrama about the infamous Wannsee Conference of January 20, 1942, at which Nazi officials discussed implementation of the "Final Solution." Chaired by Reinhard Heydrich, head of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), the meeting brought together a dozen representatives from state and party agencies involved in the genocide of Eu- rope's Jews. The notoriety of the meeting stems in large part from the fact that a summary of the pro- ceedings-the so-called Wannsee Protokoll authored by Adolf Eichmann, who was also present-survived the war. Historians have used the document to impli- cate a broad spectrum of German bureaucracies in the mass murder, to demonstrate the leading role played by the SS, and to underscore the cold premeditation with which the killing was conceived and planned. The significance of the meeting, however, remains a matter of some disagreement among scholars of Nazi Germany who have been involved in a broader debate about the origins of the "Final Solution." Christian Gerlach, for example, has recently suggested that the prevailing interpretation of the conference as a discus- sion of logistical details actually underestimates the importance of the event. Gerlach argues instead that the conference must be understood as having been closely connected with Adolf Hitler's decision to ex- tend the genocide from Eastern European Jews to Jews throughout Europe, a decision that Gerlach dates to just a few weeks before the conference (see Chris- tian Gerlach, Krieg, Ernahrung, Volkermord: Deutsche Vernichtungspolitik im Zweiten Weltkrieg [1998], chap- ter 2). One reason historians disagree over such issues is that the Protokoll itself is a deliberately vague sum- mary of the conference rather than a precise transcript of the discussions. Eichmann drafted the document to privilege the interests of the SS, and specifically the RSHA, for which he worked; he referred to the mass murder of the Jews only euphemistically. For the purposes of making a film, then, the Protokoll provides a plot summary but not a script. In translating the document into a film, therefore, the makers of Conspiracy took certain liberties. Cine- matic license is most conspicuous when the film pre- sents conversations that are mentioned neither in the Protokoll itself nor in related documentation. One tendency of these embellishments is to overstate the degree of disagreement and dissent at the conference, elevating what were most likely technical concerns into moral objections. For example, Friedrich Wilhelm Kritzinger, representative of the Reich Chancellery, is depicted as a bold dissenter, protesting to the meeting that Hitler had personally assured him that killing of Jews would not be the state's policy. There is no documented instance, however, of Kritzinger actually having said this. It is likely that this fictitious comment was inserted into the script to reinforce the dramatic function assigned to Kritzinger in the film, namely that of moral dissenter, a role which he, in actuality, did not play at the conference. Similarly, the film shows Heydrich working behind the scenes, pressuring and cajoling Kritzinger and Wilhelm Stuckart of the Interior Ministry, ultimately securing the assent of both men to his point of view. We do not know whether these private conversations really occurred. Heydrich is also depicted asserting to his listeners that the labor mobilization of Jews would merely serve as a cover for their liquidation. But both the Protokoll and the reality of Nazi measures at the time suggest a more complicated relationship between forced labor and extermination. Conspiracy will naturally be compared to the Ger- man film Die Wannseekonferenz (dir. Heinz Schirk; 1984), a similarly conceived docudrama based on the Protokoll. The earlier German film conforms to the text of the Protokoll more closely, but this does not necessarily mean that it is more historically accurate. For example, Conspiracy's most dramatic deviation from the Protokoll is its presentation of a discussion of the murder process, including the nascent technology for mass gassing and cremation. This addition, how- ever, is justified. In his interrogation by the Israelis in 1960, Eichmann admitted that such a discussion had indeed taken place, but he had deleted it from the official summary. Jointly underwritten by HBO and BBC, Conspiracy features high production values and well-known ac- tors. Kenneth Branagh dominates the film with his characterization of Heydrich. Branagh evokes the cul- tured yet swashbuckling image that Heydrich culti- vated, so much so that I wonder whether the film makes Heydrich into a more compelling figure than he actually was. Moreover, Branagh comes off as seeming a good deal older than Heydrich, who was thirty-seven years old when he presided at Wannsee. Stanley Tucci's interpretation of Adolf Eichmann as a proac- tive anti-Semite represents a refreshing departure from the old, and inaccurate, cliche of the "banal" bureaucrat. "This film," we are informed in the closing credits, "is based on a true story, with some scenes, events, and characters created or changed for dramatic purposes." Although academic specialists will doubtlessly be per- turbed by inaccuracies and interpolations, Conspiracy, to its credit, does not stray very far from what is factually plausible. The main danger with this kind of film is that most viewers will not be able to tell the difference between plausible speculation and docu- mented fact. ALAN E. STEINWEIS University of Nebraska, Lincoln"
Apart from these two productions, there was a third one in 1984. In the Suedeutsche Zeitung Magazin of 21 January they added interviwes of the three actors playing Reinhard Hydrich. asking them how they felt about playing this man. If of interest I can translate and post it. Stefan.
Thanks for the offer, not sure, really. I only quite recently saw this... The Man with the Iron Heart (film) - Wikipedia And I saw the 1984 version a few years back. Ref. see - Conspiracy (HBO/BBC). Not a particular priority at the mo. but it might be interesting, albeit in terms of research it's good to see it being covered in contemporary news, especially with all else that occurs. All the best, Rm,
selected parts of the interviews of actors playing Reinhard Heydrich 1984 – 2001 – 2021 Rough translation from Sueddeutsche Zeitung Magazin Dietrich Mattusch 1984 Heydrich’s wife knew Himmler. She was a convinced Nazi. When Himmler and Hydrich met the first time, Himmler was thrilled to meet someone that was not interested in the NSDAP, but wanted to have a good life and go for a carrier. An intelligent, with a musical talent, yet very arrogant, but with assertiveness and a good organizer. Heydrich was a man thought to be following Adolf Hitler eventually. All very speculative, but he was also power-hungry. All pure male conferences, with only one woman, alcohol and cigars – a classic - How could have any man move to the other side? Kenneth Branagh 2001 How effective and fast the meeting was, factual and rational as if they were discussing a campaign how to best sell a product. What Heydrich did was very clear to me: He wanted an agreement for his plan as well as for the actions following. Beyond all moral concerns a huge challenge. One could not surprise him. He was already there where the others also eventually arrived. He was extremely well prepared. I was so deeply involved in my role. I just could not be other than acting melancholic. At times I thought about how the other actors felt about the immensity and severity of this appalling plan. I came to the conclusion: that another talent of Heydrich was not to be effected. Philipp Hochmayer 2021 I will have a go at it this week. Stefan.
In May 1942, Heydrich is attacked by Czech resistance fighters. These Czechs I believe were trained up in Scotland at a beautiful place I was lucky to visit some years back. Stefan.
