Trial of the 20th of July plotters against Hitler
Creator(s)
- Bundesarchiv (Germany). Filmarchiv
Scope and Content
View of the courtroom in the Supreme Court of Berlin, showing the accused sitting in the dock, surrounded by police. Roland Freisler and the other judges enter the room and give a Hitler salute before taking their seats. Freisler calls the name of the accused Hans-Georg Klamroth and Klamroth is brought forward. Freisler berates Klamroth for knowing about the plot and doing nothing to prevent it. Hans-Bernd von Haeften is brought before Freisler. After confirming his position in the political department of the Foreign Office, he says that he no longer felt bound by his oath to Hitler, and that in his opinion, Hitler's role in history is that of a great instrument of evil. A cutaway shot shows Ernst Kaltenbrunner sitting in the front row of spectators. A brief shot of Major Egbert Hayessen. The scene cuts to a long shot of the courtroom, showing Freisler and the other judges framed by huge swastika flags. A black bust of Hitler sits behind Freisler. Freisler interrogates an older defendant. After a cut we see General Helmuth Stieff. There is no sound for the first few seconds. Freisler yells at Stieff and mentions Stauffenberg's name several times. Various views of the courtroom. Stieff lists the names of attendees at a meeting (?) including Beck, Hoepner, and Witzleben. He says that he did what he did for Germany, to which Freisler replies loudly, "Germany? Our Fuehrer is Germany!" Good shot of Stieff as he tries to speak but is interrupted by Freisler. Stieff is led back to the dock.
Note(s)
Excerpt from R. 1: 189 meters. Excerpt from R. 2: 51 meters. Total length of this film is 1,017 meters. Rex Bloomstein notes in his documentary "Traitors to Hitler" that there were three cameras in the courtroom: one was a the back of the room, one was located in the Swastika flag behind Freisler, and one was hand-held by a cameraman.
Conditions of Use and/or Copyright updated. Correspondence from Bundesarchiv in May 2023, initially sent to Leslie Swift states: Public Domain. However, since copyright law may differ between the U.S. and Germany, Use statement U3 is being applied.
People
- Haeften, Hans Bernd von, 1905-1944.
Subjects
- POLICE (GERMAN)
- COURTS/COURTROOMS
- SWASTIKAS
- SPECTATORS
- FLAGS
- KALTENBRUNNER, ERNST
- SCULPTURES
- FREISLER, ROLAND
- TRIALS
- POLICE
- JUDGES
Places
- Berlin, Germany
Genre
- Documentary.
- Film
Copies
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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum holds copies of Holocaust-relevant archives from Bundesarchiv, Berlin-Lichterfelde (Abteilung Filmarchiv)