An adaptation of a controversial play by German political dramatist Rolf Hochhut, this provocative film examines the history of the Catholic Church during the Holocaust. Kurt Gerstein, a Waffen-SS officer played by Ulrich Tukur, is shocked to find that the chemical he has developed against typhus is being used by the Nazis to exterminate human beings. He finds an ally in a young Jesuit priest (Mathieu Kassovitz), who works with him to report Nazi atrocities to the Vatican. Directed by the internationally acclaimed political filmmaker Constantin Costa-Gavras (Z, Missing), the film sparked intense debate upon its release for delving into the ways in which the church hierarchy became complicit with Nazi atrocities. 132 min.
Part of the Emory Cinematheque series “Resisting Fascism.” Each film in the series will be introduced by Paul Buchholz, assistant professor of German Studies, with contributions from other faculty in Emory’s Department of German Studies.
