In January 1942 a conference was held in Wannsee, a suburb of Berlin. The conference was called by SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich and in attendance were senior SS officers, senior German government officials and Heydrich's right-hand man, Lt. Colonel Adolf Eichmann. The purpose of the conference: setting forth the principles and processes that would ultimately result in the Holocaust.
A powerful dramatization of a two-hour event that would ultimately result in one of the darkest chapters in human history. What makes this so powerful is that writer Loring Mandel and director Frank Pierson present this as it probably did occur: as another meeting between Nazi top brass.
It would have been easy have them meet in a dark room and present all present as cartoonish villains, making for a very manipulative but unoriginal and unrealistic setting. No, it's presented more as a business meeting with the attendees just seeming like people attending a conference. Some of the discussion, political machinations and manipulation is what you'd expect in such a meeting.
Add in some great performances, especially Kenneth Branagh as Heydrich (ably supported by Stanley Tucci as Eichmann and Colin Firth as Dr. Stuckart), and you have a solid, edifying, highly convincing historic drama.
All this lulls you into a feeling of engagement with the attendees. It's absurd to think one could actually support the plans they have but the writing and direction are so effective and the performances so convincing that you can easily get lulled into engaging with the main protagonists.
That, I guess, is the main theme of the film: evil has a face and acts of unspeakable brutality are created in unassuming, business-like conferences. Even without that theme the historic content alone is worth watching this for.
A powerful dramatization of a two-hour event that would ultimately result in one of the darkest chapters in human history. What makes this so powerful is that writer Loring Mandel and director Frank Pierson present this as it probably did occur: as another meeting between Nazi top brass.
It would have been easy have them meet in a dark room and present all present as cartoonish villains, making for a very manipulative but unoriginal and unrealistic setting. No, it's presented more as a business meeting with the attendees just seeming like people attending a conference. Some of the discussion, political machinations and manipulation is what you'd expect in such a meeting.
Add in some great performances, especially Kenneth Branagh as Heydrich (ably supported by Stanley Tucci as Eichmann and Colin Firth as Dr. Stuckart), and you have a solid, edifying, highly convincing historic drama.
All this lulls you into a feeling of engagement with the attendees. It's absurd to think one could actually support the plans they have but the writing and direction are so effective and the performances so convincing that you can easily get lulled into engaging with the main protagonists.
That, I guess, is the main theme of the film: evil has a face and acts of unspeakable brutality are created in unassuming, business-like conferences. Even without that theme the historic content alone is worth watching this for.