Nazi Hunters The Real Story DVD Review
February 2, 2010 1 Comment
After Hitler’s death and the collapse of the Third Reich, the Allied forces were faced with the problem of identifying war criminals from several countries. The majority were caught and 22 of the most important leaders of Nazi Germany were tried by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg Germany. Several key Nazis such as Adolf Eichmann escaped trial however and fled to remote countries with tough extradition laws. Nazi Hunters The Real Story is a 2 part French Documentary that focuses the first episode mainly on the end of the war and the Nuremberg Trials. The Second part focuses more on those who initially escaped punishment for their crimes and were eventually hunted down. The three main Nazi Hunters who are the focus of this documentary is the husband and wife team of Serge and Beate Klarsfield and Simon Wiesenthal. They took very different approaches to their life’s calling as Serge and Beate would travel to the locations and protest to bring attention to the criminal, while Simon did extensive research and then turned his proof of the criminal’s existence over to the proper authorities. Of the three, Beate is probably the best known due to 1986′s The Beate Klarsfield Story, a film in which she was portrayed by Farrah Fawcett.
Peppered throughout this documentary is a lot of raw, sometimes disturbing footage from concentration camps, post trial executions and medical research. I admit that I actually had to forward a clip involving a child being experimented on in a concentration camp. Although bloodless and in grainy black and white, the nature of the footage made it far more disturbing than any of the recent Saw films. The footage is all appropriate and is not included merely for shock value but as some are sensitive to such footage, it is better to know beforehand that it is there.
As I mentioned, this is originally a French documentary, however the voiceover was retaped in English seamlessly so that one would not be able to tell that it was ever in any other language. Interviews are in English as are any subtitles. The two episodes are on a single disc and run 44 minutes each.
With the success of Inglorious Basterds, which I felt was one of the best films of 2009, I feel that well made, gripping documentaries such as this are important in preserving the true history of our past. It is a stark, realisitic look at the horrors that racism can produce and a warning for those like myself who were not around. The people who devoted their lives sometimes at great risk, to hunting down the Nazis who escaped without paying for their crimes against humanity are really unheralded and deserve to have their story told. I recommend picking this documentary up, it is extremely informative without losing the attention of the audience. Black and White footage from the war as well as the Nuremberg trials are sometimes shocking but mixed in well with more modern footage. Overall this is a very well done documentary.
Recommended
“Our passion was never revenge, but justice.” – Serge Klarsfeld
Nazi Hunters: The Real Story is available on DVD now, courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment.
Sounds interesting. I’ve got to say, I thought myself to be at least mildly familiar with the subject matter, but I’ve never heard of the Klarsfields before. Simon Wiesenthal, on the other hand, is widely famous. It kind of spurs my interest, though considering the subject matter I wonder if a mere 44 minutes per episode can do justice to it and present the whole thing comprehensively enough. Maybe they should have tried 44 hours.