Author Topic: Conspiracy (2001)  (Read 7756 times)

Offline Antares

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Conspiracy (2001)
« on: December 08, 2009, 07:22:50 PM »
Conspiracy





Year: 2001
Film Studio: British Broadcasting Corporation, Home Box Office, HBO Home Video
Genre: Drama, Television, War
Length: 96 Min.

Director
Frank Pierson (1925)

Writing
Loring Mandel (1928)...Written By

Producer
Frank Doelger
Nick Gillott (1945)
C. Cory M. McCrum-Abdo
Frank Pierson (1925)
Rudi Teichmann (1955)
David M. Thompson (1950)
Peter Zinner (1919)

Cinematographer
Stephen Goldblatt (1945)

Stars
Kenneth 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 Criterion
5 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.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2010, 11:42:37 PM by Antares »

Najemikon

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2009, 07:42:27 PM »
 :hmmmm:

Your comments ref British accents is interesting, because while you mention HBO, it was at heart a BBC production for UK TV. I remember seeing it broadcast and finding that the recognisable accents, plus the very typical UK drama style made it more chilling.

Offline Antares

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2009, 07:45:42 PM »
:hmmmm:

Your comments ref British accents is interesting, because while you mention HBO, it was at heart a BBC production for UK TV. I remember seeing it broadcast and finding that the recognisable accents, plus the very typical UK drama style made it more chilling.

I never realized the BBC made it. On the disk it says HBO films. I just assumed they'd produced it.  :slaphead:

Offline Antares

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2009, 07:47:52 PM »
I wish someone would release this on DVD...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088377/

This is probably more of what I'm looking for.

Offline Achim

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2009, 03:23:26 PM »
I caught the second half on TV once and was quite impressed. I also found, however, that German actors would have been better here.

Die Wannseekonferenz is the exact same thing in German?

Najemikon

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2009, 03:35:35 PM »
Hearing such familiar voices made me think how it could have been British officers having such a meeting. Usually something like that has a detached "it would never happen here" element.

Offline Achim

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2009, 03:38:30 PM »
Hearing such familiar voices made me think how it could have been British officers having such a meeting. Usually something like that has a detached "it would never happen here" element.
Regarding the "it would never happen here element" I would refer to The Wave...

Offline Antares

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #7 on: February 23, 2010, 03:00:54 AM »
Can anyone of the German members here tell me if this DVD has English subtitles?

Die Wannseekonferenz

It appears to be the version I mentioned in an earlier post.

Offline Achim

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #8 on: February 23, 2010, 05:14:30 AM »
Can anyone of the German members here tell me if this DVD has English subtitles?

Die Wannseekonferenz

It appears to be the version I mentioned in an earlier post.
Very few German releases have English subtitles (especially of German films). The Amazon listing doesn't mention subtitles of any shape or form. I am not at home, so I cannot check DVD Profiler.

northbloke

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #9 on: February 24, 2010, 12:22:44 AM »
There are 2 profiles for that title, neither mention any subtitles I'm afraid.

Offline Antares

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #10 on: February 24, 2010, 12:26:38 AM »
There are 2 profiles for that title, neither mention any subtitles I'm afraid.

Damn, thanks for the info. I guess I'm destined never to see this.

northbloke

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #11 on: February 24, 2010, 12:47:29 AM »
If you fancy going all "retro", Amazon.com marketplace have it on VHS: http://www.amazon.com/Wannsee-Conference-VHS-Dietrich-Mattausch/dp/6302919789

Offline Antares

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Re: Conspiracy (2001)
« Reply #12 on: February 24, 2010, 01:35:18 AM »
If you fancy going all "retro", Amazon.com marketplace have it on VHS: http://www.amazon.com/Wannsee-Conference-VHS-Dietrich-Mattausch/dp/6302919789

When my last VCR died, I never replaced it.