Conspiracy

		The Bunker
		Downfall
		Amen
		The Wannsee Conference
		Hitler: The Last Ten Days

ON JANUARY 20, 1942, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, 15 GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND SS COMMANDERS ATTENDED A CONFERENCE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF BERLIN. IT WAS A SIMPLE MEETING, WHICH BY THE END WOULD DECIDE THE FATE OF SIX MILLION LIVES. CONSPIRACY IS BASED ON THE ONLY SURVIVING RECORD OF THAT MEETING.

On January 20, 1942, with the tide of war turning in favor of the Allies, a small group of SS officers, government ministers, and Nazi officials met near Berlin to decide the fate of Europe's Jews. Based on the only surviving record of that meeting, Conspiracy is a powerful combination of historical reconstruction and speculation that attempts to offer new insights into a pivotal moment in history.

The cast does a marvelous job of fleshing out the documentary evidence to create convincing characters. Kenneth Branagh is especially chilling as SS Chief of Security Reinhard Heydrich, who uses a combination of charm and ruthless power-mongering to gain support for his plans. Colin Firth is fascinating as Wilhelm Stuckart, a lawyer who sees the brutal tactics of the SS as a threat to his own intellectualized anti-Semitism, and Stanley Tucci gives a wonderfully understated performance as Adolf Eichmann.

Conspiracy is a carefully crafted, completely unsensational film that offers ample proof of the banality of evil. There are no histrionics and no comic-book Nazi villains, just a small group of politicians and war-weary soldiers arguing about the meaning of words and the logistics of extermination, calmly preparing to unleash an unimaginable horror on the world. --Simon Leake

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Summary: "We Will Not Sterilize Every Jew And Then Wait For Them To Die. We Will Not Sterilize Every Jew And Then Exterminate The Race."

Kenneth Branagh is absolutely chilling in his portrayal of Reinhard Heydrich, one of the most evil men in the Nazi regime. I saw this film for the first time a few hours ago on DVD, and it just sent shivers up my spine, watching as Heydric, Eichmann, Klopfer ("A prick," as Heydrich calls him), Dr. Roland Friesler (who presided over the "Trials" of the men involved in the plot of July 20, 1944; please see "Valkyrie" for a filmed version of the events) and the others discussed what would become known as "The Final Solution." I went into this film knowing only a few minor details, but this movie is excellent for fans of the actors and historians. Mr. Branagh is an excellent actor, and deservedly won an Emmy for his menacing portryal of Heydrich, while Stanley Tucci won Best Supporting Actor. Colin Firth, Ian McNeice and the other actors were well cast in their roles. Very good film. It's nerve-wracking watching these men coldly debate about The Final Solution, which would snuff out six million Jews. The Holocaust is a tragic event which must never be forgotten. God Bless The Jews.

Alas, my only complain stems in the sparseness of the special features. they could have included more behind-the-scenes footage, a copy of the conference and more interviews with the cast & crew. I highly recommend it.

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Summary: Conspiracy

This is a well-made drama that, despite its cold thematic content, plays out in a very smooth and low-key manner. It is essentially one long meeting room drama between several Nazi officials. The acting is spot-on and the experience is unforgettable. I would recommend this if you are a fan of HBO dramas or if you are interested in any films surrounding the Nazis.

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Summary: Conspiracy

This movie, "Conspiracy," on DVD, is one of the best movies we have seen, and highly recommend it. We give it a 5-Star rating without qualification!! It arrived in great condition and timely.

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Summary: Documentary Style of Bureaucratic Barbarism

I made it a policy not to read other people's reviews until I finished one--but broke the rule once & got so turned I gave up on my own review & swore never. Well, I did it again with CONSPIRACY because I was just too curious. I have to agree with the writer who disliked the movie because, among other things, the acting was unremarkable (my adjective).

I don't think this film was meant to be high drama--it's not. However, with actors like Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth and other very reputable actors on board, you'd think there would be at least a few dramatic fireworks--there weren't. The Amazon product description praises the film for its understated acting & not promoting "evil" stereotypes--but that's why the film fails as a rivevting drama. It's definitly more a documentary.

What's good about CONSPIRACY is that it shows how a groveling bureaucracy can promote the most despicable political means & goals of pure evil (yes, EVIL) the 20th century had witnessed--and there was PLENTY of evil in the 20th centuryand more than enough to go around in the 21st.

In a pivotal scene the characters are running on & on about how much "Aryan blood" and Jewish would subject a person to evacuation(execution) or work (as being worked to death.) Then there are even more bureaucratic wrangling if a person "acted Jewish," to what degree, etc. What they all unanimously agreed on that every Jew on the face of the earth had to eventually be exterminated. They came close to succeding.

I do think CONSPIRACY would be a good educational tool to show how the nuts & bolts bureaucratic administration of the Holocaust came into being.

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Summary: Riveting Dialog

No special effects or high tech hype. Pure dialog that keeps your attention. When a movie that is driven purely by words and interaction between actors keeps the attention of the audience, you know someone has put together a great masterpiece. When you stop to think that the fate of an entire culture is being decided in the course of a 2 hour meeting you become overwhelmed to the capabilities of man. The cold winter setting is a fitting back drop to the evil fate being decided at Wannsee.