Paragraph 175
- Director: Rob Epstein; Jeffrey Friedman
- Writer: Sharon Wood
- Producer: Janet Cole; Michael Ehrenzweig
CGiii Comment
Historian Klaus Muller interviews survivors of the Nazi persecution of homosexuals because of the German Penal Code of 1871, Paragraph 175.
Insensitive. Impolite and irresponsible.
An opportunity wasted, he merely scratched the surface with inept questions evoking very little answers - because, the questions were wholly inappropriate.
Epstein & Friedman are completely out of their depth - this huge subject proved too big for them - did they actually contribute anything or did they unjustly give the incompetent Muller a free hand?
Hang your heads in shame. For this is a mightily important 'moment' squandered.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
By the 1920's, Berlin had become known as a homosexual eden, where gay men and lesbians lived relatively open lives amidst an exciting subculture of artists and intellectuals. With the coming to power of the Nazis, all this changed. Between 1933 and 1945 100,000 men were arrested for homosexuality under Paragraph 175, the sodomy provision of the German penal code dating back to 1871. Some were imprisoned, others were sent to concentration camps. Of the latter, only about 4,000 survived. Today, fewer than ten of these men are known to be living. Five of them have now come forward to tell their stories for the first time in this powerful new film. The Nazi persecution of homosexuals may be the last untold story of the Third Reich. Paragraph 175 fills a crucial gap in the historical record, and reveals the lasting consequences of this hidden chapter of 20th century history, as told through personal stories of men and women who lived through it.
Cast & Characters
Rupert Everett as Narrator;
Klaus Muller as Himself - Historian;
Karl Gorath as Himself;
Pierre Seel as Himself;
Heinz F. as Himself;
Annette Eick as Herself;
Albrecht Becker as Himself;
Gad Beck as Himself;
Heinz Dormer as Himself;
Marlene Dietrich as Herself;
Magnus Hirschfeld as Himself;
Adolf Hitler as Himself;
Ernst Rohm as Himself