La conférence

A very sober, intelligent attempt to adapt into film the meeting where The Holocaust was launched. Historically informative and free from disturbing, unnecessary and distorting dramatic elements. The interpretation of this infamous group of people is as good as it gets. Maybe we don't feel close to the actual Eichmann and maybe the portrayal of Heydrich adds more depth than he actually possessed - he was probably quite one-dimensionally cold and arrogant. But this does not prevent the film from giving a credible account of the events and the different interests and ways of thinking and talking of the participants.

A very simple film with most of the scenes confined to a conference room, participated by dull men in uniform discussing technical details. Doesn't sound as interesting as an average Hollywood action film, and still far from a graphic accusation of evil. But the great irony is so manifest for any watcher with minimum historical knowledge.

At least three ironies should be honored. First, Heydrich (the biggest boss at the conference) speaks with such opimism and confidence, and with so much light projected at his face, one can mistake him for a hope for humanity without the help of subtitles and a German ear. He looks like a good superior willing to listen to his subordinates, a bright mind caring about the future of his nation, and a dutiful man following "good" orders.

Second, the greatest conflict in conference was between Heydrich and Dr. Stuckart (medium-high state government official and drafter of Nuremberg laws discriminating Jews): Stuckart objected sending half-Jews to concentration camps, not because he was empathetic to the "inferior race" but because it would cause chaos in administration among the "good" Aryans; and Heydrich condescendingly "conceded" to this "lenient" policy.

Third, when Kritzinger raised the question of the psychological consequence of turning "good" Aryans into bloody executioners, Heydrich ordered Eichmann to explain how Zyklon B and concentration camp is a "humane" way to get the job done without hurting the moral quality of the soldiers.

A perfect film for those interested in Nazi history, in how evil can be perpetrated in such a twisted way that it doesn't seem evil in the first place, and in the application of dark irony. I would play this film in high school and university history courses.

How do you eliminate millions of people? This question had dwelled in the minds of Hitler and his inner circle for a long time. By July 1941, Germany had turned into a fascist dictatorship under the "Fuhrer" Adolf Hitler; the concentration camps were full of people deemed "unwanted" and "subhuman", the war in Europe was about to escalate into the second World War, and the Holocaust had already begun. Now the NS elite looked for the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" and delegated this task to the chief of the Reich Security Main Office, Reinhard Heydrich. A couple months later, on January 20, 1942, Heydrich invited top representatives of the cornerstone political and military branches to a meeting at a villa at the Wannsee in Berlin.

There have been a couple of movies about this most infamous conference in modern history, especially the German TV-movie from 1984 and the British-US production "Conspiracy" from 2001.

All movies face the same problem: Little is known about the actual event, one of the few historical sources is the only surviving copy of the conference protocol that was authored by Adolf Eichmann and Heydrich, both now known as the architects of the holocaust.

This means that we don't really know how the meeting took place, how the participants behaved, what they talked about apart from what's on the record. All of that has to be "invented" by means of film dramaturgy and historical knowledge about the people involved.

This latest film, as well as the previous German movie from 1984, is based on a play by Paul Mommertz, which has both received criticism and praise since its premiere. The subject of criticism has mostly been the depiction of a variety of people, especially Eichmann and Heydrich. Movies often tend to lend Nazis characters like that a demon-like aura, a natural evil of some sort that seems self-explaining. The more frightening reality is that Heydrich, Eichmann and all the other participants weren't demons but human beings, though following an inhumane, extreme ideology; believing in a "cause" that had already lead to the deaths of millions and which should lead to the death of millions more. They truly believed that what they did was right - and that they had the natural right to do it.

"Die Wannseekonferenz" excels in portraying this key event with an eerie sense of cold soberness, perfectly capturing the brutal logic of a fascist bureaucracy, where law is weaponized and everyone and everything subordinated under the doctrine of war and genocide.

No over-dramatization or -fictionalization, no unnecessary background score to paint the picture darker than it already is, and a very accurate historical portrayal of the real life personas - in my opinion the most outstanding features of this film in contrast to the other ones mentioned earlier.

The only thing that's truly missing in my opinion is some sort of historical comment other than the mention of the murder of six million jews at the end of the movie. I think, it is absolutely important to provide the audience with a context of why and when this conference took place, and more importantly of all people involved, especially the lesser known ones. It is important because the planning and execution of the holocaust spanned across all political and military branches, not just a dedicated elite - and despite the secrecy of this meeting the Nazis made sure that everyone was bound to it by complicity.

For all following generations, the holocaust constitutes a crime of unprecedented nature and scale, with terrible consequences reaching into our very present. For its planners, perpetrators and supporters, it was the fateful challenge, the biggest on the way to a racially pure, germanic European future. Imagine the horrors of a future built on the remains of millions of murdered human beings, imagine a dystopia world like that planned in what looks like a completely normal business meeting. That's what the Wannsee Conference was to Heydrich and everyone invited.

This excellent TV production is based on real-life deeds and this is the third retelling, being previously shot in 1984 : a German film ¨Die Wannseekonferenz¨ by Heinz Schirk and the most known : ¨Conspiracy¨ (2002) by Frank Pierson with Kenneth Branagh , Colin Firth, Kevin McNally , Tom Hiddleston .It concerns the meeting of high-ranking Nazi SS and civilian leaders at the Wannsee Conference held on January 20,1942 , to plan the Final Solution of the Jewish question. This interesting, important movie depicting, in real time, the conference during which 14 members of the Nazi hierarchy decided in eighty five minutes the logistics and means of effecting the Final Solution. The film is magnificently acted by a complete , though mostly unknown German casting playing notorious Nazis , such as : General Reinhard Heydrich splendidly perfomed by Philipp Hochmair , Dr Stuckard , Dr Klopfer , Dr Kritzinger , Martin Luther , among others . The picture well produced Constantin Television and ZDF network , being finely written by Magnus Vattrodt and Paul Mommertz , accurately adapted from documents based on the Wannsee Protocol. In fact , this is fictionalized TV film on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the historical event, based on the minutes of the meeting written by Adolf Eichmann at the time . It contains an evocative cinematography, being shot on location in the actual places where happpened the sinister facts . This TV movie was well directed by the German Matti Geschonneck , a prestigious TV screenwriter and director.

Adding more details along with the well developed on the movie, the deeds occurred in the following manner: The meeting took place in the Berlin suburb of Grossen-Wannsee, where the decision was made to adopt the Final Solution, the contemplated extermination of Jews . On Julio 31, 1941, Herman Goering issued orders to Reinhard Heydrich , chief of the SD, the security service , to submit a comprehensive plan of the Jewish question. The meeting was originally scheduled for December 8,1941, but it was to be postpones until noon on January 20, 1942. It was to be followed by a luncheon. Fifteen Nazi bureaucrats were present. Minutes of meeting taken in Protocol that read in part: ¨As a further possibility of solving the question, the evacuation of the Jews of the east can now be substituted for emigration ,after obtaining permission from the Fuehrer to that effect. The conference was opened by Heydrich, who declared that he was the plenipotentiary for the final of the Jewish question. He then reviewed the emigration problem. Until this time a plan had been held in readiness to deport all Jews to the island of Magadascar, off the coast of Africa, but the Madagascar Plan had fallen through after the invasion of the USSR on June,22,1941. There was no longer any possibility of transporting Jews in this fashion. Instead of emigration the Fueherer had given his sanction for the evacuation of all Jews to the East as a solution possibility. The evacuees would be organized into huge labor columns. Undoubtedly, a majority would fall through natural diminution. The survivors of this natural selection process, actually the hard core of Jewry and the most dangerous because they could rebuild the Jewish life,would be treated accordingly. Although Heydrich did not elaborate the phrase ¨treated accordingly¨the plain meaning was that, in the course of time,with insufficient food and exhausting work, the survivors would be weakened and ready for the specially equipped extermination camps. The conferees then became involved in a lengthy discussion of the problem of the individuals of mixed race, and that of Jews in mixed marriages. About the half the time was taken up with this special discussion, but not drastic reclassification was made. Then the conferees adjourned for lunch. Thirty copies of the record were made and circulated in the ministries and SS offices. News of the Final Solution traveled quickly through the Nazi bureaucracy. Within a few months the first gas chamber camps were set up in Poland. The events are known as Wannsee Protocol by Martin Luther's copy of the Conference minutes was discovered in the files of the German Foreign by American investigators in 1947. It is the only record of the meeting that survives. Destination of the Conference participants is the following : Reinhard Heydrich killed in Praga. Gestapo Chied Heinrich Muller, disappeared after the war. Dr Gerhard Klopfer, arrested 1945 for war crimes , discharged for lack of evidence,died 1987. Dr Krtzinger, arrested 1945,declarated ashamed of Nazi atrocities released 1947. Otto Hoffman arrested 1945,sentenced to 25 years. Dr Alfred Meyer committed suicide in the Spring of 1945. Dr Stuckard sentenced 1949 to time served. Martin Luther sent to concentration camp,died of heart attack 1945. Dr Buhler arrested 1945, executed 1948,Poland. SS colonel Schongarth executed 1946. And Colonel Adolf Eichmann captured in Argentina by Israeli agents 1960,tried, convicted and hanged for crimes against humanity, Jerusalem ,May 31,1962.

The movie shows perfectly scary how the plan to kill Millions of people is just discussed in a normal buisness meeting with jokes and coffee. The whole movie is just a dialogue but never gets boring. Philip Hochmair with an outstanding performance. For everyone who is interested in history and wants to get a feeling of the inhumane atmosphere of this meeting, this movie is great.