Der Rat der Götter (1950)

Director:

Kurt Maetzig

Writers:

Philipp Gecht (writer)
Friedrich Wolf (writer)

Release Date:

12 May 1950 (East Germany)

Genre:

History

Plot Keywords:

Post WWII Reconstruction | Nerve Gas | American Fascist Coalition | Conspiracy | WWII

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Paul Bildt	...	Chairman Mauch
Fritz Tillmann	...	Dr. Hans Scholz
Willy A. Kleinau	...	Mr. Lawson, of Standard Oil Co.
Hans-Georg Rudolph	...	Direktor Tilgner
Albert Garbe	...	Uncle Karl Scholz
Helmuth Hinzelmann	...	Colonel (later, General) Heinze Schirrwind
Inge Keller	...	Edith Scholz
Yvonne Merin	...	Claudia Mauch
Kaete Scharf	...	Frau Scholz
Herwart Grosse	...	Direktor von Decken
Theodor Vogeler	...	Dr. Hüttenrauch - Chemiker
Arthur Wiesner	...	Vater Scholz
Karl Heinz Deickert	...	Dieter Scholz
Agnes Windeck	...	Frau Mauch
Helene Riechers	...	Mutter Scholz

Also Known As:

Council of the Gods (International: English title) (literal English title)

Runtime:

110 min | USA:105 min

Country:

East Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Leunawerke, Leuna, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Company:

Deutsche Film (DEFA)

Interesting but dull film

Using the Nuremberg trials as source material, this film looks at how German businesses colluded with the Nazis and centers on the crisis of conscious from the scientist that developed of the poison gas used in the concentration camps. Great idea but it's propagandistic and tries very hard to atone for the sins of the Nazis. Lots of weak drama mixed in with real war and atrocity footage. Perhaps it played better in 1950? It makes no bones about the international industrial machine that fed Germany during the war, explaining how goods traveled from country to country to make their way into German hands, with Standard Oil being singled out as a major accomplice. It's just like buying American products in Iran today. War is good for business.