Conspiracy: The 1942 Wannsee Conference

On January 20, 1942, 15 high ranking German officers gathered in a villa on the outskirts of Berlin for a clandestine meeting that would ultimately seal the fate of the European Jewish population. Ninety minutes later, the blueprint for Hitler’s Final Solution was in place. The Wannsee Protocol, found in the files of the Reich’s Foreign Office, is the only document where the details of Hitler’s maniacal plan were actually codified, and serves as the basis for this intriguing film. Starring Kenneth Branagh, Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci. (2001, 112 min.)
Director Frank Pierson, former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will introduce the film and answer audience questions following the screening. Pierson’s long list of distinguished credits includes co-authoring the screenplays for the Academy Award-nominated film Cool Hand Luke and the Academy Award-winning film Dog Day Afternoon; as well as directing the rock music film A Star is Born.

Afterwards Pierson will discuss the film with Profs. Marcuse (History), Holt (Film & Media Studies), and Hecht (Religious Studies).