Conspiracy
Year: 2001
Film Studio: British Broadcasting Corporation, Home Box Office, HBO Home Video
Genre: Drama, Television, War
Length: 96 Min.
DirectorFrank Pierson (1925)
WritingLoring Mandel (1928)...Written By
ProducerFrank Doelger
Nick Gillott (1945)
C. Cory M. McCrum-Abdo
Frank Pierson (1925)
Rudi Teichmann (1955)
David M. Thompson (1950)
Peter Zinner (1919)
CinematographerStephen Goldblatt (1945)
StarsKenneth Branagh (1960) as Reinhard Heydrich
Clare Bullus as Maid
Stanley Tucci (1960) as Adolf Eichmann
Simon Markey as Stenographer
David Glover (1927) as Supervising Butler
David Willoughby as Orderly #1
Tom Hiddleston (1981) as Phone Operator
David Spinx (1951) as Cook
Review In 1942, at the confiscated estate of a Jewish businessman, Reinhard Heydrich, Adolf Eichmann and the upper echelon members of the Nazi party, came together to set in motion the plan to execute all people deemed irrelevant and unnecessary to the forging of the new German state. The decisions made at the
‘Wannsee Conference’ would lead to the systematic extermination of over 14 million Europeans, of which 6 million were Jews, and would be forever remembered as the
‘Final Solution’. I had read about this conference many years ago and thought that no Hollywood production company would ever have the resilience to tell the story on film. In the last 15 years HBO has taken over the reins of maverick production standards in the film industry, tackling subject matter that virtually all other companies wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. Grasping the chance to bring prestige to their ever-burgeoning film company they decided to tackle this weighty subject and the result was
Conspiracy starring Kenneth Branagh and Stanley Tucci.
Taken almost verbatim from a discovered transcript of this conference, we are given insight into the bickering rivalries between the different departments of the Nazi ministry. While some of the members come across as homicidal and arrogant butchers, others convey a sense of aristocratic haughtiness, which they use to justify the exterminations as a boon for the future of mankind. The performances by all of the cast is first rate and the pace of the film keeps the viewer involved without overwhelming them with the disturbing subject at hand. My only complaint is that I would really like to have seen this done with German actors and spoken in German. At times the British accents tended to diminish the dialogue’s impact, creating a sense of detachment, while the brusque nature of the German dialect would have best suited the heinous nature of their plan.
Ratings Criterion5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.
4 ½ Stars - Not quite an immortal film, yet a masterpiece in its own right.
4 Stars - Historically important film, considered a classic.3 ½ Stars - An entertaining film that’s fun or engaging to watch.
3 Stars – A good film that’s worth a Netflix venture.
2 ½ Stars - Borderline viewable.
2 Stars – A bad film that may have a moment of interest.
1 ½ Stars – Insipid, trite and sophomoric, and that's its good points.
1 Star – A film so vacuous, it will suck 2 hours from the remainder of your life.
½ Star - A gangrenous and festering pustule in the chronicles of celluloid.
