Conspiracy (TV 2001)

A dramatic recreation of the Wannsee Conference where the Nazi Final Solution phase of the Holocaust was devised.

Director:

Frank Pierson

Writer:

Loring Mandel

Stars:

Kenneth Branagh, Clare Bullus, Stanley Tucci

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kenneth Branagh	...	Reinhard Heydrich
Clare Bullus	...	Maid (as Claire Bullus)
Stanley Tucci	...	Adolf Eichmann
Simon Markey	...	Stenographer
David Glover	...	Supervising Butler
David Willoughby	...	Orderly #1
Tom Hiddleston	...	Phone Operator
David Spinx	...	Cook
Dirk Martens	...	NCO
Barnaby Kay	...	Rudolf Lange
Peter Sullivan	...	SS.Col. Eberhard 'Karl' Schöngarth
Ben Daniels	...	Dr. Joseph Bühler
Andreas Günther	...	NCO2 (as Andreas Guenther)
Ewan Stewart	...	Dr. Georg Leibbrandt
Brian Pettifer	...	Dr. Alfred Meyer

Storyline

The historical recreation of the 1942 Wannsee Conference, in which Nazi and SS leaders gathered in a Berlin suburb to discuss the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question". Lead by SS-General Reinhard Heydrich, this group of high ranking German officials came to the historic and far reaching decision that the Jews of Europe were to be exterminated in what would come to be known as the Holocaust.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | conference | holocaust | final solution | jew | 

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Taglines:

One Of The Greatest Crimes Against Humanity Was Perpetrated In Just Over An Hour.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

19 May 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conspiration

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Apart from the record Eichmann plays at the end there is no music in the entire film.

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Goofs

When Dr Stuckert first greets Dr. Kritzinger, he calls him "Bitzinger".

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Quotes

Heydrich: [to Kritzinger] Well then, this is the moment to be... practical, until such time as Germany can afford your philosophy, which is what? Hound them, impoverish them, exploit them, imprison them, just do not kill them. And you are God's noblest of men. I find that, uh, truly remarkable.

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Connections

Featured in The 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Adagio from 'String Quintet in C Major', D. 956, op. post. 163"
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Ensemble Villa

User Reviews

Classy acting in a chilling theatrical piece

In January 1942, General Heydrich chaired a meeting of Hitler's top men from various Nazi bodies including the Party, the SS etc. The reason was to `discuss the inevitable and try to bring it about in the most practical way under one command'. The `inevitable' being the spiralling problem of the huge numbers of Jews and how best to deal with them.

This is a chilling dramatisation of the meeting that sealed the fate of millions of Jews. The story is quite simple and could be easily put on the stage - it is merely a board meeting with the focus being on the characters of those involved. The film plays as a normal board meeting - no one in the room is portrayed as monsters - in fact Heydrich is almost comic. One of the most chilling elements is that no-one in the room believes the Jews were normal people, some are horrified by the thought of killing them all on production lines but even then their alternatives never approach humane options.

This very wordy production would never have succeeded without strong actors and here it is blessed by not only famous faces but unknowns giving great performances. It is difficult at first to accept English actors playing Nazis but you soon get past it. Tucci and Branagh are both excellent and Colin Firth is the best I've seen him as Dr Stuckart from the Interior Ministry. I could literally name the whole cast as the members of the meeting are all well played.

This is not presented as a terrible moment and the men are not portrayed as Indiana Jones style evil Nazis. The facts are allowed to speak for themselves and it's all the more chilling for it. Overall this is an excellent film that benefits from great acting, a great script and great direction.