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Synopsis
The collective crimes against humanity known as the Holocaust have been well-documented since the end of World War II, but lingering questions remain about how much was known about the Nazi mass-extermination schemes outside Germany, and what could have been done to prevent them. Political filmmaker Costa-Gavras confronts this thorny issue in this film, adapted from the stage drama The Representative and based in part on actual events. Kurt Gerstein (Ulrich Tukar) is a German chemist whose work on various government health projects led to him being added to the scientific staff of the Nazi SS. While working on disinfection and water purification programs to stem the tide of typhoid among German troops, Gerstein creates a toxic cleanser called Zyclon B. Gerstein soon learns that the SS has found a different use for Zyclon B -- in gas form, it is being used to exterminate Jews and other political undesirables en masse. Gerstein, a man of strong Christian faith, is horrified by this revelation, and he is determined to tell the world in hope of stopping the genocide; however, in Germany, Sweden, and the United States, Gerstein's story falls on deaf ears. One man who does believe Gerstein is Riccardo Fontana (Mathieu Kassovitz), a Jesuit with ties to the Vatican and close contact with Pope Pius XII (Marcel Iures). Fontana urges the Pope to speak out against the ongoing massacre, but the Pope declines, believing Russia is a greater menace to the Catholic Church than the Nazis. In time, desperate to spread the word of the holocaust, Gerstein and Fontana find themselves joining ranks with Roman Jews being rounded up by Nazi forces in occupied Italy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast

Ion Caramitru Count Fontana
Michel Duchaussoy The Cardinal
Mathieu Kassovitz Riccardo Fontana
Mathieu Kassovitz Rioccardo Fontana
Frederick von Thun Gerstein's Father
Hanns Zischler Grawitz
Ulrich Tukur Kurt Gerstein
Marcel Iures Pope Pius XII
Marcel Iures The Pope
Ulrich Mühe The Doctor
Antje Schmidt Mrs. Gerstein

Production Crew

Maria Miu Art Director
Dieter Meyer Associate Producer
Pierre Grunstein Associate Producer
Roland Pellegrino Associate Producer
Rolf Hochhuth Book Author
Patrick Blossier Cinematographer
Armand Amar Composer (Music Score)
Laurent Levesque Conductor
Edith Vesperini Costume Designer
Costa-Gavras Director
Yannick Kergoat Editor
Michele Ray Executive Producer
Alain Olivieri First Assistant Director
Andrei Boncea Line Producer
Laurent Levesque Musical Arrangement
Claude Berri Producer
Ari Hantke Production Designer
Costa-Gavras Screenwriter
Jean Claude-Grumberg Screenwriter
Dominique Gaborieau Sound/Sound Designer
Pierre Gamet Sound/Sound Designer
Year: 2002
Runtime: 132
Country: France
MPAA Rating:
Category: Feature


Produced by
Canal Plus
Katharina
KC Medien
Renn Productions
TF1 Films

Release
January 24, 2003 (USA - Limited)
by Kino International

Awards
2002 - Best French Film - French Academy of Cinema