The Reichsorchester: The Berlin Philharmonic and the Third Reich

The unhappy fate of Wilhelm Furtwängler, chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic during World War II, who was removed from his post until 1952 as part of the de-Nazi-fication process, is well known; the photo of him shaking Goebbels' hand after a concert celebrating Hitler's birthday is notorious (Ronald Harwood's play Taking Sides dramatizes his case). But it's Furtwängler's orchestra that is the focus of this fine documentary, which combines archival materials (including photos and rare film footage) with extensive interviews of surviving players and the children of others, to investigate the question of whether the group was a compliant Nazi propaganda tool. Viewers will learn about the musicians—such as violinist Szymon Goldberg and cellist Joseph Schuster, who emigrated to America—some of whom were committed Nazis, but for the most part the interviewees argue that the members were musicians first and foremost, and largely apolitical. Still, there's a disquieting character to many of the remarks (when the musicians admit to feeling shame, it's usually because they were exempted from military duties, for example). Aficionados will prize the clips of the orchestra being conducted by such figures as Hans Knappertsbusch, Erich Kleiber, and Sergiu Celibidache, and a bonus clip features a complete performance of Wagner's Meistersinger prelude under Furtwängler—precious even with dated newsreel sound. Overall, however, what makes Enrique Sánchez Lansch's The Reichsorchester stand apart is the fact that it raises serious questions about the artist's role within a morally indefensible regime. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)