The Memory Of Justice

[Tara Ariano]

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Restored version of Marcel Ophüls' epic exploration of wartime atrocities examines the prosecution of Nazi leaders at the Nuremberg trials following World War II and investigates allegations of war crimes committed by France in Algeria and the U.S. in Vietnam.

Premieres Monday, April 24 at 8 PM ET.

[Guest]

I could only make it though about 1.5 hours of this in one sitting. Not that I don't love a good, long documentary but, given the political climate here and around the world these days, the banality of evil on display in this film was too much for me to handle. I was gobsmacked by the number of Germans who were all too willing to want to "move on" and "leave the past in the past." Not to mention the "proud Nazi" who believed that while Hitler was in power, the streets were safe and there was "no murder or crime" in them and he longed for those good old days. Then there was the mention of Herta Oberheuser, the doctor who was "mercy killing" the people in concentration camps with petrol injections. She was tried at Nuremberg, convicted, and sentenced to 20 years, and only served five after being released for "good behavior." She then got out of prison and went back to practice medicine again until her license was revoked. And people still liked and praised her because she was a doctor. 

I did, however, loved learning about Beate Klarsfeld and her husband Serge who dedicated their lives to hunting down the Nazi monsters who evaded capture after the war and went about their daily lives and careers like nothing ever happened. (They were the two who found Klaus Barbie.) Those two are fucking heroes.