From the vaults of DEFA

Wolfgang Staudte’s Rotation (1949) is the story of a German family that becomes divided over supporting Hitler and the Nazis. The father considers joining the Nazi party purely to improve his finances. But when he helps a friend print resistance leaflets, his son, a Hitler Youth member, betrays him. After the war father and son meet again.
    Another Wolfgang Staudte (The Murderers Are Among Us) classic, Rotation was censored by the Soviets because of its pacifist message and because it included footage from Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympia. It was awarded the Golden Leopard at the 1954 Locarno Film Festival. The new DVD from First Run Features includes an interview with film historian Christiane Mückenberger, newsreels, and the essay, “1945-65: The Cold War – The Film in Historical Context.” Order from Amazon

Based on testimony from the Nuremberg Trial of chemical giant I.G. Farben and on the 1947 book I.G. Farben by American author Richard Sasuly, Council of the Gods (1950) is the story of the collaboration between international corporations and Nazi scientists whose research contributed to the death of millions.
    The film focuses on chemist Dr. Hans Scholz, who becomes wrapped up in his political neutrality and closes his eyes to the fact that poison is being produced in his factory – poison to be used in the Nazi gas chambers. Standing before the judges at the Nuremberg Trials he must face the fact that he is partly responsible for the deaths of millions in the Nazi concentration camps.
    Featuring the electronic sounds of Oskar Sala (Hitchcock’s The Birds), the film is powerful in its depiction of the moral dilemmas of the war, as well as of Cold War propaganda. DVD extras include interviews with director Kurt Maetzig and set designer Willy Schiller. Order from Amazon