Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999)

A cinematic portrait of the life and career of the infamous American execution device designer and holocaust denier.

Director:

Errol Morris

Stars:

Fred A. Leuchter Jr., Robert Jan Van Pelt, David Irving

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred A. Leuchter Jr.	...	Self (as Fred Leuchter)
Robert Jan Van Pelt	...	Self
David Irving	...	Self
Caroline Leuchter	...	Self (voice)
James Roth	...	Self - Analytical Chemist
Shelly Shapiro	...	Self
Suzanne Tabasky	...	Self
Ernst Zündel	...	Self
David Collins	...	Re-enactment cast
Daniel Polsby	...	Re-enactment cast
Jeff Brown	...	Re-enactment cast
Robert Duerr	...	Re-enactment cast

Storyline

Documentary about Fred Leuchter, an engineer who became an expert on execution devices and was later hired by revisionist historian Ernst Zundel to "prove" that there were no gas chambers at Auschwitz. Leuchter published a controversial report confirming Zundel's position, which ultimately ruined his own career. Most of the footage is of Leuchter, puttering around execution facilities or chipping away at the walls of Auschwitz, but Morris also interviews various historians, associates, and neighbors.

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Plot Keywords:

death in title | execution | auschwitz | revisionist | gas chamber | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to A Brief History of Errol Morris (2000), Morris made a rough cut that he showed to colleagues and friends that only had Leuchter interviewed and it was Morris' intention that the audience would understand he was saying things either as lies or flat-out wrong. He was advised to go to Auschwitz and dig deeper so that there would be no doubt for the audience that Leuchter was wrong.

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Quotes

Fred A. Leuchter Jr.: The human body is not easy to destroy and it's not easy to take a life humanely and painlessly without doing a great deal of damage to the individual's body.

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Connections

Features Electrocuting an Elephant (1903)

User Reviews

The Tragedy That Results, When Truth Collides With Religion

This documentary is a classic study of the tragedy that invariably occurs when religious dogma collides with actual facts. Normally the two rarely cross paths, because people are loath to submit cherished beliefs to the light of objective analysis. This is especially the case with religicized issues like the Holocaust. Regardless of what one thinks of this issue, there is always at least two sides to every event in human history, the Holocaust is no exception.

While everyone has been made aware of the Zionist version of what occurred in Nazi camps such as Auschwitz, there has always been another side to this story, that has never been allowed a fair hearing! Suppression, slander, and relentless propaganda, has relegated this alternative version of events, to relative obscurity. Enter Mr. Leuchter, his honesty and professionalism, allowed him to meticulously investigate the fundamental premise of an issue that has literally become a religion in itself! Unlike his hopelessly biased opponents, he was able to remain completely objective throughout this very trying ordeal. The result was perhaps the first completely independent assessment of the merits of the issue of homicidal gas chambers in the Holocaust. Regardless of how one feels about this, Leuchter's investigation produced conclusive scientific results, that prove the infamous homicidal gas chambers in places like Auschwitz show no traces of cyanide gas! This can only be the case, if this central claim of the Holocaust, was false to began with! This of course is not out of the question, since the Holocaust has been of immeasurable political and economic value to Zionist interests.

On the other hand, Leuchter's findings are a bolt of lightning in the name of truth, over blind belief, and finally sets the record straight, after these many years of erroneous history about the Holocaust. While most true holocaust believers have no use for these disturbing facts, those who understand that the truth is always of greater value, than any political agenda or belief, will welcome these startling revelations. This of course has nothing to do with hatred of Jews, but everything to do with historical revision, and correcting erroneous views of an important period of human history. As with anyone who goes against the powerful forces of political and religious orthodoxy, Mr. Leuchter paid a high price for his honesty and steadfast expression of the right of free speech. The contrast between Leuchter and the lab scientist who chose to protect himself and his company, by conveniently attempting to sabotage the results of his own unbiased tests, could not be greater! This is after all, what most men would do when facing the wrath of such ruthless foes. Leuchter on the other hand, courageously stood his ground, as a man of honesty, and integrity, in the face of a Holocaust industry, intent on crushing those who dare to question the accepted teaching on the Holocaust. For those hopelessly biased in favor of the orthodox Holocaust narrative, this film will be of little value. For those who remain of open mind, and able to appreciate the considerable loss of freedom in the west, to powerful special interests and pressure groups, this film provides a sobering look at the lengths the high and mighty will go, to destroy the lives of honest men, as well as how the hatred of those completely blinded by their beliefs, serves as another weapon, in the fight against the truth.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 January 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mr. Death

Filming Locations:

Poland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,125, 2 January 2000

Gross USA:

$507,941

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$507,941

Company Credits

Production Co:

Independent Film Channel (IFC), Channel Four, Fourth Floor Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1