Conspiracy: Alternative War Movie

Marc 2022-01-12 08:02:10

Films about World War II have been performed countless times by different screenwriters and directors with the same enthusiasm in different periods and in different ways. But after watching Conspiracy this time, I have another impression of this kind of war-themed film. It is not like other World War II movies that directly describe the cruel scenes of war or the inhuman life of concentration camps. Rather, it uses a micro-narrative way to reproduce a secret meeting in which Germany accelerated the implementation of racial policy in 1942 when the World War II took a turn for the better. The entire film is like a record of a two-hour discussion meeting. More than a dozen people are arguing about whether to slaughter or not and how to slaughter the Jews. The content of the story is more like a historical research topic. From the only remaining meeting report at that time, a historical event was restored. This is probably a prerequisite that I like it.

But film is not research after all. Otherwise, no one is interested. Storytelling and plotting are justified. Around the core question-what is the best way to exterminate Judaism-layer by layer of depth and clarity. But in my opinion, this issue itself also transcends the imaginary space that war has brought to us. Genocide is accompanied by thinking about issues such as human nature. More questions may be raised. Can God's rights or responsibilities be so realistic and clearly determined and resolved by human beings themselves? This reverie increases the breadth and depth of the movie content. Although the German racial policy has no direct relationship with the war ahead, Moscow’s defeat and the United States’ participation in the war have actually hinted that this meeting will be a further deterioration and acceleration of Jewish policy. Then, when each specific issue was discussed one by one, people really realized that this was just a political game. These questions have already been answered, but in fact there is no need to discuss them. The successful use of the voyeur lens gives the viewer the feeling of being in a real meeting scene.

Although from beginning to end, there is no scene depicting war or the slaughter of Jews. However, the description of the details of some movies is no less than this kind of direct visual impact. In fact, the director seems to have intentionally left this scene to the audience to imagine. Descriptives that are contrary to the cruel topic, such as the beautiful winter scenery in Germany, the gorgeous Wannsee villa, and the sumptuous variety of food, seem insignificant in themselves, but when you look at the well-dressed gentlemen tasting the food and admiring the scenery, When discussing how to invent an efficient male sterilization device, how to minimize the identity of Jewish descent, and how to most efficiently achieve the planning of a poisonous gas plant, scenes of imaginary slaughter of Jews spontaneously arise. The contrast between language and objects may be the unique feature of this film. The real theme is imagined in this contrast.

Another point worth mentioning is that not all of the leaders of the German upper class who participated in the meeting were described as inhumane Nazis. Many people disagree with genocide in the form of slaughter. And put forward different reasons from their respective positions, for example, killing civilians is detrimental to the pride of soldiers and so on. But as the meeting progressed, everyone gradually realized that this method of massacre had actually been decided. This meeting was just a form. In fact, the second half of the meeting was a process by which everyone adjusted their mentality.

I have to mention HBO, the company that made this film. I have seen another Wit (2001) filmed by it before, and I like it very much. It also uses micro-narrative techniques to tell the story of a female university professor in her forties who died of cancer from the first point of view, and she will have the opportunity to write it later.

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Extended Reading
  • Alexandria 2022-03-26 09:01:11

    Both have their own visions and united will, and both have their own rhetoric and their own opinions, but their conscience is absent.

  • Lacey 2022-03-26 09:01:11

    I don't know why I shed tears at the end? The lines are beautifully written.

Conspiracy quotes

  • Heydrich: [to Lange] Politics is a nasty game. I think soldiering requires the discipline to do the unthinkable and politics requires the skill to get someone else to do the unthinkable for you.

  • Klopfer: [leaving after the meeting] You certainly know how to throw a party.

    Adolf Eichmann: Thank you.

    Klopfer: Shalom!