Product Details

• Actors: Paul Bildt, Fritz Tillmann, Willy A. Kleinau, Hans-Georg Rudolph, Albert Garbe
• Format: Black & White, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: German (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: FIRST RUN FEATURES
• DVD Release Date: January 16, 2007
• Run Time: 111 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000JU7KD6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,947 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Council of the Gods" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

COUNCIL OF THE GODS - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very strange, very interesting movie, January 27, 2008

By 

Thomas B. Gross (Winchester, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Council of the Gods (DVD)

This is a 1949 East German film about a chemist working at I.G. Farben from the time of Hitler's rise to power to post-war Germany. It's a fairly conventional narrative which plays like any typical film of the 40s except that its political assertions are utterly bizarre.

The film purports to be based on the evidence presented at the Nuremberg trials for I.G. Farben and from other "American" sources. According to this movie, I.G. Farben was in cahoots with Standard Oil (of the USA) throughout the course of World War II through regular business dealings in Switzerland and Spain. As I watched this tale I was continuously amazed at the claims made in the film. My astonishment may have been enhanced by the fact that I didn't realize until after I watched it that it was produced in the DDR. Even knowing that, you will be amazed at how the bad guys beat the rap in Nuremberg for having manufactured Zyklon B.

All that being said, it's a well-made and very interesting film. I was particularly interested in the portrayal of Americans in this film, who speak German with American accents. The daughter of the Standard Oil executive is an especially unusual film character: a blonde bombshell who speaks German laced with American English.

It's worth seeing just to learn that there was ever a film industry capable of producing such an odd film.

3.0 out of 5 stars An Eclectic Mix Of Cold War Propaganda, Post WWII Recriminations, And History, October 20, 2011

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Council of the Gods (DVD)

A curious film, "Council of the Gods" asserts that it uses actual testimony from Nuremberg to support its tale of political machinations, international greed and ruthless business practices. The film charts a span of twelve years and focuses on the scientists that worked within a big chemical corporation to devise the products necessary for the Final Solution. Told largely through the eyes of one man and his family, the film indicts the wealthy elite who manipulated the innocent worker in the quest for financial gain. It's a bold film, to be sure, as it also paints Americans and capitalism in general as unlikely allies in this avarice and disregard for human life.

While the film does have factual basis, it was made in conjunction with the Russian film industry and its propagandistic slant is all too apparent (but still intriguing). The film's central themes include the evils of corporations, the nobility of the labor parties, and the goodness of Communism. It's so heavy handed, and so single minded, you can't really take it seriously as drama or truth. The end of the film, in fact, evolves into an outright rant against capitalism. Historically interesting for its perspective, whether it qualifies as entertainment for modern audiences may be up for debate. KGHarris, 10/11.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story Line Whether Fact or Fiction, September 20, 2010

By 

Joseph J. Slevin (Carlsbad, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Council of the Gods (DVD)

Hey, even if these guys got 50% of the story right here, it is definately a very clear picture from the view of some who experienced the atrocities of war and the aftermath of a very large disaster effecting many families after the war.

The movie is very fast paced, and you get to know the characters right away. If you do not watch the extras ahead of time, you will definately get the sense that the movie is from the left. Later you will find it is an East German film. But, really, listening to this side can give you some very interesting insights. Even when those in the union are dissappearing, you get the sense that those left behind had some hope for the future.

The movie is in German and German with English subtitles. I particularly liked the pace of the movie. But you have to understand that the movie covers 12 years in about two hours. You will learn in the extras, the Representative from Standard Oil is a composite character. We have that a lot in movies, the most recent example was the character played by Mel Gibson in the Patriot. They do use the book written after Nuremburg entitled IG Farben as a main source. Speaking of Nuremburg, there is a trial scene toward the end of the movie that is just spectacular. The tirades, fault finding and redirections are just great. A lot of emotion packed into very few minutes.

Many of us have heard through the years about various corporations in the US supporting the build up to WWII in Germany as a truth. This is just one more look from a perspective of those with an agenda, yet, they have eye witness accounts and some very interesting coincidences that need answers.