Deutsches Haus

The Frankfurt Ausschwitz trials are an important topic in Holocaust history and the series potrayal of the trial is where the series shines.

Unfortunately it suffers from the same problem that much of German "history-TV" (like Babylon Berlin or Charité) has: to draw in viewers it contains numerous side plots that are supposed to fluff out the historical period but are very clichéd. I get that it is important to set a historical context, but the side plots remain completely shallow and especially clash with the horrifying descriptions of Ausschwitz in the trial.

A further (minor) point: it feels very much that the series only included an anti-Nazi old person in the form of the fiancé's father to reassure German viewers that "not everyone was bad" in their grandparent's generation. It's a shame that German productions still feel they cannot ask more of their audience.

I definitely recommend this show because of different reasons.

The show is an impressive piece of cinema (although it is a mini series).

Character development is done with a lot of empathy and patience. Actors adding an authentic play to this really emotional story.

Sometimes it is not what they say - more how they say it (or not)

Technically it is brilliant as well. Every shot has its purpose and the light is always a support to the scene. Sounds and even silence are well done and also with a purpose.

Although the history is well known and a lot of movies were made - this one contributes in a unique way.

The show is based on a book called "The German House", I stumbled upon the show in Disney+ and had to watch all 5 episodes. The show is a heavy watch but definitely worth it.

While the show and the book are both historical fictions, I felt like it portrayed the German and Polish sentiment after WW2 accurately and vividly.

The cast and acting were great and the dubbing into english was better than usual, but I advise adding english subtitles as well. In many cases when Polish is being spoken, it isn't dubbed to english and I relied on the closed captions.

Overall, I think the show was great and I plan on reading the book shortly.

This is a good series with very fine cast. The focus on the main character's increasing awareness is perfect. The episodes falter when unnecessary digressions dealing with the young Jewish lawyer, his angst, prostitution, outbursts. The courtroom scenes are great and even minor roles are realized quite brilliantly. I recommend this series highly, but one must be patient enough to get thru the unnecessary digressions in order to get the magic. These people tackled a difficult subject. The music score stimulates a feeling of reality hidden inside the insanity. There are surprises that enliven the drama just when you think you've seen it all. Characters, for once, have contrasting sides to their being so one never knows what will be revealed and 'that' is one of the strengthens of this drama.

The series shows no real sense of the authoritarian spirit of the early sixties, before the public recognition of the Holocaust, not least through the Auschwitz trials in Frankfurt depicted here. As is unfortunately so often the case with historical series, the current taste in history is catered to, which unfortunately makes the characters appear historically implausible. The same goes for the chemistry of the main figure and her fiance.

A wasted opportunity.

The two film adaptations of the life of the Hessian Attorney General Fritz Bauer, on whose initiative and persistence the aforementioned Auschwitz trial took place, are much better done and should be watched instead.