We are familiar with images of the hearings at the Nuremberg trials. But to this day, no film has taken us into the cells of the accused. For the 60th anniversary of the verdict, this film lifts the veil on the hidden face of the trial of Nazi war criminals: that blind spot where the accused, locked up in the Nuremberg prison, agreed to speak to a doctor. From January to July 1946, 34-year-old American psychiatrist Leon Goldensohn regularly interviewed the accused in the privacy of their cells. He was part of a team assigned to trace the psychological origins of Nazi crimes, the belief of the times being that psychopathic monsters committed them. Every day, he spoke to them at length, reviewing the declarations made by the accused during the hearings. During these interviews, Goldensohn scrupulously noted down what he heard in small notebooks, but the book he had hoped to use them for never materialized. The film is based on these unique historic documents. They provide us with invaluable information for a better understanding of the Nazi regime and the Nuremberg trials.
France - 2006 - 59 mn - Betacam Digital - Colour and B&W
Director
Jean-Charles Deniau
Writer
Jean-Charles Deniau, Stéphane Khémis
based on
Leon Goldensohn
Camera
Guillaume Martin, Stéphane Saporito
Sound
Gaël Mange
Editing
Françoise Bernard
Music
Gérard Cohen-Tannugi
Production
Roche Productions,
45 rue de Louvain,
92400 Courbevoie, France
Tél : +33 (0)1 4334 0712
Fax : +33 (0)1 4334 0724
E-mail : roche@rocheproductions.com
with the participation of
France 3, LCP - La Chaîne Parlementaire Assemblée Nationale, Planète, Radiotélévision belge de la communauté française, The History Channel UK, Télévision Suisse Romande / Radio Télévision Suisse, Radio Canada, ERT, RTE, SVT - Sveriges Television AB, YLE TV1
Sales
Roche Productions,
45 rue de Louvain,
92400 Courbevoie, France
Tél : +33 (0)1 4334 0712
Fax : +33 (0)1 4334 0724
E-mail : roche@rocheproductions.com
2007 | FIPA (Festival International des Programmes Audiovisuels | BIARRITZ, France
* Aspects of French Production
www.fipa.tm.fr/en/programs/2007/les-carnets-secrets-de-nuremberg-16413.htm
We are familiar with images of the hearings at the Nuremberg trials. But to this day, no film has taken us into the cells of the accused. From January to July 1946, 34-year-old American psychiatrist Leon Goldensohn regularly interviewed the accused in the privacy of their cells. He was part of a team assigned to trace the psychological origins of Nazi crimes, the belief of the times being that psychopathic monsters committed them. Every day, he spoke to them at length, reviewing the declarations made by the accused during the hearings. During these interviews, Goldensohn scrupulously noted down what he heard in small notebooks, but the book he had hoped to use them for never materialized. The film is based on these unique historic documents. They provide us with invaluable information for a better understanding of the Nazi regime and the Nuremberg trials.
Director: Jean-Charles Deniau - France - 2006 - 59 mn - Betacam Digital - Colour and B&W