I'm not really sure why, but I've always had a fascination with the subject of Nazi Germany. (Those who know me are aware that I have a fascination with a lot of subjects…) Besides the historical aspects of the entire period, it is the fact that such an event was allowed to go on and everyone was too afraid to do anything to stop it. I have older friends whose families either lived in Germany during this period or had family that spent time in concentration camps. What scares me is that there are people living today who still believe that the Holocaust didn’t happen. Even worse, there are those who still embrace the Nazi way of thinking. (Ironically, they themselves serve as perfect examples of why selective breeding might not be a bad idea…) Anytime I have the opportunity to watch documentaries or specials about World War II, I jump at it. Oddly enough, most of what I've seen is of a documentary nature.

The only exceptions were my recent acquisition of some of the old Disney cartoons that put Donald Duck into Nazi Germany. Recently however, it was brought to my attention that there were several movies made about the subject, in Germany, from the German perspective. I'm not talking about propaganda films, but actual motion pictures that dared broach the subject of how bad Germany was under Hitler's rule. Two of these films, "Council of the Gods" and "Rotation," were recently released by First Run Features and I had the pleasure of having the opportunity to review them.

"Council of the Gods" follows the work of Dr. Hans Scholz (Fritz Tillmann), one of the developers of Zyklon-B. For those of you unfamiliar, Zyklon-B was the gas that was used in the 'showers' of the Concentration Camps. He is 'forced' to continue working on its improvement by the 'powers that be' even after he realizes what it is being used for. He chooses to deny the reality of his work to himself so he can continue. Though he has opportunities to defect, he doesn't. But what makes this film even more frightening is not the deniability of one man, but in the knowledge that the work was backed by capitalistic influences, including some from the U.S. The film doesn’t touch on this part too deeply, but if you have done any reading on the subject you'll recognize parts of the film that allude to this.

The DVD includes a decent amount of extra features for a film that was released in 1950. There is a still gallery, some textual information on the filmmakers, and trailers. But even better is the inclusion of some archival newsreels and interviews with the director, Karl Maetzig and set designer Willy Schiller. Both talk freely about the political climate of the time as well as the inherent dangers of making a film like this.

The second film "Rotation" takes a more personal look at the effect that Hitler's policies had on the average German family. We are introduced to Hans, who is a well-liked local mechanic. As the Nazi Party begins to take shape, he considers joining but soon finds himself working with those who oppose it. He doesn’t try to hide this fact, and is turned in to the police by his son, Hellmuth, a misguided member of the Hitler youth. Here we see a family torn apart by disparate beliefs, and almost completely destroyed because of them. This film was made in 1949, and was considered so politically incorrect that it was withheld from distribution. This DVD also includes some newsreel footage and a fascinating interview with film historian Christiane Mueckenberger.

The transfer on both of these films is amazingly clear of blemishes. The films are black and white and the contrasts are nearly crystal clear. I was somewhat taken aback by how good these movies were, not only in terms of the writing, but in the acting. Often older films like these are hindered by a stiff style of acting, with a kind of staccato delivery of dialogue. This is not the case here, these German actors are extremely talented and their performances elevate the features to a level of realism that makes them wholly believable.

If you have even a remote interest in history, I cannot recommend these films highly enough.

Council of the Gods
Directed by: Kurt Maetzig
Starring: Paul Bildt, Fritz Tillman, Willy A. Kleinau, Hans-Georg Rudolph, Albert Garbe, Helmut Hinzelmann, Inge Keller, Yvonne Merin
Extras: Director Interview - "Period Witnesses - Kurt Maetzig Talks," Interview - "Learning by Watching - Set Designer Willy Schiller," Newsreels - "The Eyewitness Reports on Director Karl Maetzig and I.G Farben," About The Filmmaker, Stills Gallery, Three Vintage Trailers
Specifications: Black & White, German with English Subtitles

Rotation
Directed by: Wolfgang Staudte
Starring: Paul Esser, Irene Korb, Karl-Heinz Deickert, Brigitte Krause, Renhold Berndt, Reinhard Kolldehoff
Extras: Interview - Film Historian Christiane Mueckenberger on "Rotation," Newsreels - "Eyewitness Reports on Director Wolfgang Staudte and Making "Rotation," Essay -"1945 - 1965 The Cold War - The Film in Historical Context," About the Filmmkakers, Stills Gallery
Specifications: B&W, German with English Subtitles

Studio: First Run Features
Release Date: 1/16/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website

We'll give Council of the Gods / Rotation a B+.