Die NS-Justiz: Recht des Unrechts is a documentary film which premiered in 2023. In 2024, it was shown on French and German television (arte).
The topic of this film is the legal system in Germany during the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) and the Third Reich (1933-1945).
Here is some basic information about this film:
** French title: Les tribunaux d’Hitler
** Directors: Jean-Marie Barrère and Marie-Pierre Camus
** Writers: Jean-Marie Barrère and Gilles Gasser
** Narrator: Jean-Marie Barrère
** Language: French or German
** Subtitles: French or German
** Available on the arte website until 22 June 2026
** Run time: 103 minutes
An English title of this film could be:
The Legal System of Nazi Germany:
When Justice Was Replaced by Injustice
Several historical experts are interviewed in this film
Here are the names of the participants
Listed in alphabetical order
** Johann Chapoutot – a French historian
** Aurore Gaillet – a French lawyer
** Klaus Hillenbrand – a German journalist
** Christian Ingrao – a French historian
** Olivier Jouanjan – a French lawyer
** Joachim Kerth-Zelter – a German lawyer
** Nathalie Neumann – a German art historian
** Yves Ternon – a French historian
In this film, the history of the legal system in the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich is told by focusing on four persons who lived through those years and whose lives offer useful perspectives on the legal system which was used during those years.
Here are the names:
Hans Litten
(1903-1938)
A German lawyer who was opposed to the Nazis
Elisabeth “Lilo” Charlotte Kuznitsky
(1903-1944)
A German lawyer who was opposed to the Nazis
Werner Best
(1903-1989)
A German Lawyer who was a member of the Nazi Party
Johann Reichhart
(1893-1972)
A German executioner
Here is some additional information about the four persons who are presented in the film:
The first case
Hans Litten was a German lawyer who was opposed to the Nazis. As a Jewish lawyer in the Weimar Republic, he tried to use the law to stop the advance of the Nazi Party.
On 22 November 1930, a group of Nazi Storm Troopers entered the Eden Dance Palace, a well-known meeting place for socialists and communists, and opened fire on the people inside. Three were killed, while 20 were wounded.
On 8 May 1931, four suspects were tried in a court of law. Prosecutor Hans Litten called Adolf Hitler as a witness. The leader of the Nazi Party was asked to talk about the role of the Storm Troopers in the Nazi Party.
Hans Litten questioned Hitler for three hours. His purpose was to show the difference between a legal party and a party which supports the use of violence.
Hitler was in a dilemma.
He could say he and his party had nothing to do with the attack on the Eden Dance Palace. But in that case, the Storm Troopers would be upset to learn that he did not support them.
He could say he and his party supported the Storm Troopers. But in that case, members of the German middle class would be upset to learn that he and his party did not respect the law; that he and his party supported the use of violence against civilians.
Hitler was furious. But since he was in a courtroom, he had to respect the rules and regulations of the place. He was caught in a trap.
He could not walk out in protest. He could not order his storm troopers to beat up the prosecutor. He was humiliated.
He never forgot the name Hans Litten. He promised himself that he was going to get revenge as soon as possible
In January 1933, Hitler became the Chancellor. One month later, after the Reichstag fire, he was allowed to issue emergency laws.
Many members of the opposition were arrested and placed in concentration camps. One of the first to be arrested was Hans Litten.
In the following years, he was moved from camp to camp. He was often interrogated and exposed to torture. In 1938, after surviving five years in different camps, he took his own life. This is how Hitler got his revenge.
The second case
Elisabeth “Lilo” Charlotte Kuznitsky was a lawyer who was opposed to the Nazis. Since she was Jewish, she was in danger after 1933. In 1938, she married a man who had a German name, Gloeden. When she married, she became Elisabeth Gloeden. This was an attempt to hide her Jewish origin.
Her husband Erich Gloeden was an architect who also had a Jewish origin. In 1918, his father Siegfried Loevy had made a special arrangement in order to hide the Jewish origin of his son.
Erich was adopted by a Christian family. When Erich was adopted, he dropped his Jewish name and took the name of his new family: Gloeden.
Erich’s father Siegfried and Siegfried’s brother Albert Loevy were the owners of a successful family business which produced large bronze letters to be used for inscriptions on important buildings.
The famous inscription which was placed on the façade of the German parliament (der Reichstag) in 1916 was written with large bronze letters made by the factory owned by the Loevy brothers.
According to the inscription, the building is dedicated “to the German People.”
Dem Deutschen Volke
Erich Gloeden and his wife Lilo tried to hide their Jewish origin. It worked well for a while. But in 1944, towards the end of the war, their luck ran out.
Following the failed attack on Hitler’s life in July 1944, the conspirators went into hiding. Erich and Lilo were not involved in the attack on Hitler, but after the attack had failed, they were asked to hide one of the conspirators.
They accepted and for a while everything was fine. But they were betrayed. In September 1944, the Nazis came to their home to arrest Erich, Lilo, and Lilo’s mother.
The man in hiding was shot during the arrest.
He died soon after being arrested.
Erich, Lilo, and Lilo’s mother were accused of being traitors. On 27 November 1944, they were tried in a court of law where the presiding judge Roland Freisler found them guilty.
They were all sentenced to death. All sentences were carried out three days later, on 30 November 1944.
About two months later, on 03 February 1945, when judge Freisler was holding court in his courtroom, an alarm sounded. A bomb attack was expected.
The room was evacuated. The staff went to a bomb shelter, but the judge stayed behind for a moment, because he wanted to collect some important documents before leaving the room.
While he was still there, a bomb hit the roof of the building. The roof collapsed, killing the judge who was busy collecting his documents. This was the end of his career and his life.
The third case
Werner Best was a German lawyer who supported the Nazi Party. He believed the Nazi Party should organize a coup d’état in order to take power.
Once the party had assumed power, he said, the Nazis should use the legal system to remove and silence the opposition.
When Hitler heard about his ideas, he wanted to meet him. The meeting went well, because Hitler liked his ideas. After this meeting, Werner Best was quickly promoted within the ranks of the Nazi Party.
In 1945, when the war ended, Werner Best was arrested. Since he had been stationed in Denmark during most of the war, he was transferred to Denmark where he was accused of being a war criminal.
In 1948, he was found guilty and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to 12 years in prison. He did not have to serve the whole sentence.
He was released in 1951, having served only three years. When he was released, he returned to Germany where he worked as a lawyer.
In 1969, he was held in detention. He was charged with war crimes, but in 1972 he was released, because he was regarded as medically unfit to stand trial. After his release, he lived until 1989.
The fourth case
Johann Reichhart was an executioner. His job was to execute people. During the Weimar Republic, there was almost no business for him. He moved to the Netherlands for a while and he tried to do some other work.
In 1933, the Nazis contacted him and asked him to return to Germany. They needed a man like him. While Hitler and the Nazi party were in power, business was very good for Johann Reichhart.
In 1945, he was arrested, because he had worked for the Nazis. But the liberators of Germany also wanted to have some executions. Who could do such a job?
Johann Reichhart was available. He worked for the Americans from 1945 to 1946.
In 1947 he was arrested again. He was sentenced to two years in prison. In addition, half of his assets would be confiscated. When he appealed, his sentence was reduced and the loss of his assets was reduced to 30 percent.
He was released, because he had served his time, but his life did not go well for him.
His marriage failed. And his son, who was sad to learn about his father’s job, committed suicide in 1950. The former executioner lived a lonely life until his death in 1972.
Conclusion
What do reviewers say about this film?
On IMDb it has a rating of 79 percent.
The story of the legal system in the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich is important. The story deserves to be told, and in this film, it is done very well.
The historical experts are well-chosen. They offer useful information.
The decision to cover the main topic by focusing on four persons who lived during those years works well.
The four persons are well-chosen. The fates of the four persons illustrate important aspects of the legal system in the Weimar Republic and in Nazi Germany.
The rating on IMDb is quite good, as you can see. But in my opinion, it is not good enough.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
REFERENCES
# 1. Items available online
Spiegel staff
“Reichstag: Lettern für das Vaterland,”
Der Spiegel
11 October 2007
Jon Kelly
“Hans Litten: The man who annoyed Hitler,”
BBC News
19 August 2011
Fergal Keane
“The remarkable resistance of Lilo,”
BBC Sounds
26 January 2020
This is a podcast (a radio report)
The short version = 30 minutes
The long version = 50 minutes
# 2. Books
Crossing Hitler: The Man Who Put the Nazis on the Witness Stand
By Benjamin Carter Hett
(2008)
Beheaded by Hitler: Cruelty of the Nazis, Civilian Executions and Judicial Terror, 1933-1945
By Colin Pateman
(2017)
Hitler’s Executioner: Roland Freisler, President of the Nazi People’s Court
By Helmut Ortner
(2018)
Hitler’s Henchmen: Nazi Executioners and How They Escaped Justice after WWII
By Helmut Ortner
(2022)
Beyond Tears:
A Mother’s Fight to Save Her Son in Nazi Germany
By Irmgard Litten
(2023)
# 3. Film and video
The Man Who Crossed Hitler
A historical drama which premiered in 2011
This drama is based on a true story: the life and career of Hans Litten. The story is set in Germany, but the dialogue is in English, which is a serious violation of historical truth.
Hans Litten vs. Adolf Hitler:
How to Stop a Tyrant
A documentary film which premiered in 2011
This film is a companion to the historical drama of 2011
This film is available on YouTube
*****
The German lawyer
Hans Litten
(1903-1938)
*****
The German lawyer
Elisabeth "Lilo" Charlotte Gloeden
(born Kuznitsky)
(1903-1944 )
*****
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