Filmmaking is subjective. Documentary or narrative fiction, short or feature length, foreign or domestic, the primary constant in all films is choice. In “Conspiracy” (2001), acclaimed filmmaker Frank Pierson demonstrates he knows how to make decisions.
Conspiracy, as a story, has existed in transcript form since January 20, 1942, when a secret meeting, commonly referred to as the Wannsee Conference, was held to determine a solution to the Nazis’ “storage problem” that resulted from their capture and encampment of Polish and Russian Jews. A group of fifteen high-ranking officials, comprised of the SS and Police, Chancelleries, Government Ministries and Eastern Representatives – all agencies that reported to Adolf Hitler – was called by Reinhard Heydrich to agree upon an efficient plan that would finally cleanse Germany and all of Europe of the Jews.
Although it might seem that an hour or so perusal of the transcript would suffice as a complete history lesson, Pierson makes several directorial choices that add depth to the range of story information that is otherwise limited.
One choice Pierson makes is to tell the story in 96 minutes, very close to the real time of the historic meeting, which is reported to have lasted a mere 85 minutes. This shapes the viewers experience with the film and heightens the alarm over the fact that such monumental and horrific decisions were made in just over an hour. Add to that Pierson’s choice to set in the film in a four-walled replica of the actual room in which the meeting took place as well as his theatrical staging (and casting of stage actors) and you can infer that Pierson is pointing to the possibility that each of the esteemed guests was cast by Hitler to play a specific role in the drama that would unfold that day.
The most powerful convention Pierson employs is the point of view of the camera. Virtually every shot after the meeting participants arrive is shot at eye level. Particularly when all are seated at the table, the perspective of the viewer is forced to eyelevel with the players, camera lens moving around from one person to the next, just like one’s eyes might dart during a business meeting. It’s as if Pierson is saying to the viewer, “Don’t just stand there; Join us.”
This is not to suggest that Pierson is supportive of these distinguished gentlemen and their task at hand. What Pierson is doing helps the viewer acknowledge the non-verbal cues of the participants that communicate far more about the meeting and the men participating in it than the simple words on the page of Loring Mandel’s script is able.
The effort beckons the viewer to consider what s/he would do if actually seated at that table and reveals that not everyone who served under Hitler was in cahoots with him or for that matter, even had a comprehensive knowledge or understanding of all of Hitler’s activities. The impact of Hitler’s dictatorship is astonishingly clear.
These specific choices are in no way cited to undermine Pierson’s other, more conventional choices, especially in regard to his choice of story structure. Just as annals find themselves on bookshelves, Pierson bookends his historic story between an introduction and an epilogue, using each to mirror Nazi characteristics of opulence, entitlement, efficiency, attention to detail and order.
Pierson is as meticulous in his staging of the film’s introduction as Adolf Eichmann is in his preparations for what is evidently an important event. In just a few short minutes and from a variety of camera angles, Pierson establishes through a multiplicity of shots, seemingly edited in random sequence, that important “party guests” will soon arrive.
The film concludes with simple cards detailing the outcomes of each of the real life characters. It’s a practical response to anticipated “What happened to…?” inquiries and not much different than the real life tidying up and extinguishing of the lights that occurred at the conclusion of the Wannsee Conference.
References
“Conspiracy” (2001)
The Holocaust: The Fate of European Jewry by Leni Yahil
“Film Art: An Introduction” by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson
Jewish Journal film review by Naomi Pfefferman
Jewish Journal film review by Tom Tugend
Variety film review by Laura Fries
http://www.ghwk.de/
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wannseekonferenz
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/h-wannsee.htm
http://www.scrapbookpages.com/EasternGermany/Wannsee/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266425/ (and related sub pages)
http://www.branaghcompendium.com/conspiracy.html
http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/reviews/2002/conspiracy.htm