DeNurembergANurembergDVD4FrontIntroduction

“De Nuremberg À Nuremberg” is a documentary series by French director Frédéric Rossif, for which Vangelis composed an original score. The series tells the story of the rise of fascism in Germany, starting with the rallies organised by the Nazi-party in the German town Nuremberg in 1933, and ending with the Nuremberg trials in 1946, where German officials involved in war crimes were brought before an international tribunal.

The series was first broadcast on the 21st of November 1989 at 20:35 hrs on the French television channel Antenne 2, almost two years after its original production. The television channel insisted on showing a shorter edit consisting of two parts of 90 minutes each. On Sunday the 28th of March 1993 00:00 hrs the series was re-broadcast in its full 4 hour version. During the 1990s the series was published on VHS video tape in both the 3 hour and 4 hour version. During the 2000s these versions would also be released on DVD in France and Spain.

Rossif’s black-and-white documentary is a collage of archival footage and witness reports, purposefully telling the story of World War II and all its events through a factual presentation and neutral narration, like a history book. At the same time the documentary does not shy away from showing the atrocities of the Nazi-regime, the concentration camps and human suffering.

Vangelis’ music is appropriately dramatic, even military at times, but there are also some reflective and emotional pieces, not unsimilar to the music heard in “Pasteur Le Siecle” (1987). The score however is scattered across the episodes in many and often short cues, making it hard to enjoy the music as a coherent part of the documentary. As is more often the case in documentaries by Frédéric Rossif, some of the music is sourced from earlier productions such as “Cantique Des Créatures” (1970) and “L’Apocalypse Des Animaux” (1973).

 

DeNurembergANurembergStill08Details and credits

  • Title: De Nuremberg À Nuremberg
  • Year: 1989
  • Country: France
  • Length: 180 / 240 minutes
  • Release date: 21 November 1989
  • Proposed by Jean Frydman.
  • Directed by Frédéric Rossif.
  • Written by Frédéric Rossif and Philippe Meyer.
  • Music by Vangelis.
  • Narrated by Philippe Meyer.
  • Edited by Marie-Sophie Dubus and Veronique Leroy.
  • Mixed by Elvire Lerner.
  • Documentation: Frederique Katzeflif
  • Produced by Michele Wiart
  • Produced by CDG and Antenne 2.

DeNurembergANurembergStill01Episodes

3 hour version

  1. La Fête Et Le Triomphe
  2. La Défaite Et Le Jugement

4 hour version

  1. La Fête Et Le Triomphe
  2. Le Temps De La Résistance
  3. Le Tournant Décisif
  4. La Défaite Et Le Jugement

 

DeNurembergANurembergDVD3FrontMedia

DVD

  • 2003 Filmax Home Video Spain (4 DVD boxset, 240 minutes including Spanish / French audio and Spanish subtitles)
  • 2004 Editions Montparnasse 001 276 France (3 DVD boxset, 180 minutes including French audio and French subtitles) bonus material: “L’Histoire En Perspective” and “Avant L’Oublie?” documentaries
  • 2010 Editions Montparnasse 002 231-1 France (2 DVD boxset, 240 minutes including French audio and French subtitles) bonus material: “Le Procès De Nuremberg”
  • 2012 Filmax Home Video Spain (2 DVD boxset, 240 minutes including Spanish / French audio and Spanish subtitles)

VHS

  • Editions Montparnasse France (2 VHS, 180 minutes)
  • Editions Montparnasse France (2 VHS, 240 minutes)
  • Filmax Home Video Spain (3 VHS, 180 minutes)

Laser Disc

  • Editions Montparnasse France (2 discs, 240 minutes)

 

 

Synopsis

DeNurembergANurembergDVDSpain42Front“De Nuremberg à Nuremberg” is a sweeping historical reflection on the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, framed by the symbolic bookends of the Nuremberg Rallies and the Nuremberg Trials. The film is a powerful montage of archival footage, newsreels, and personal testimonies, woven together to trace the arc of Nazi ideology, its implementation, and its eventual reckoning.

The documentary opens with the infamous Nuremberg Rallies, massive propaganda events orchestrated by the Nazi Party in the 1930s. These rallies, held in the city of Nuremberg, were designed to showcase the unity and strength of the German people under Adolf Hitler. Rossif uses footage of the rallies to illustrate the cult of personality surrounding Hitler, the militarization of German society, and the indoctrination of the masses. The rallies were not just political gatherings; they were spectacles of power, choreographed to instill fear and awe, and to legitimize the Nazi regime in the eyes of the world.

The film then delves into the mechanisms of Nazi control: the suppression of dissent, the persecution of Jews and other minorities, and the systematic dismantling of democratic institutions. Rossif juxtaposes images of everyday life under the Third Reich with scenes of violence and oppression, highlighting the contrast between the regime’s public facade and its brutal reality. The documentary explores how ordinary Germans were complicit, whether through active participation or passive acceptance, in the crimes of the state.

A significant portion of De Nuremberg à Nuremberg is devoted to the Second World War and the Holocaust. Rossif does not shy away from the horrors of the concentration camps, the mass executions, and the industrial scale of the Final Solution. Archival footage from liberated camps, such as Auschwitz and Dachau, is interspersed with testimonies of survivors and perpetrators, creating a harrowing portrait of human suffering and moral collapse. The film also covers the war’s major battles and turning points, from the Blitzkrieg to the Battle of Stalingrad, underscoring the global impact of Nazi aggression.

The documentary’s final act focuses on the Nuremberg Trials, held in the same city where the Nazi Party once celebrated its power. The trials, conducted by the Allied powers between 1945 and 1946, sought to hold the surviving leaders of the Third Reich accountable for war crimes, crimes against peace, and crimes against humanity. Rossif presents key moments from the trials, including the testimonies of defendants like Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, and Albert Speer, as well as the prosecution’s presentation of evidence. The trials are portrayed not only as a legal reckoning but also as a moral and historical one, forcing the world to confront the full extent of Nazi atrocities.

De Nuremberg à Nuremberg concludes with a meditation on the legacy of the Nuremberg Trials and the enduring questions they raise about justice, memory, and the capacity for evil. The film suggests that the trials were both a necessary act of justice and an incomplete one, as many perpetrators escaped punishment and the scars of the war persisted for generations. Rossif’s use of music, particularly the haunting score by Vangelis, amplifies the emotional weight of the archival images, inviting viewers to reflect on the fragility of civilization and the dangers of totalitarianism.

De Nuremberg à Nuremberg is more than a historical chronicle; it is a warning. By tracing the path from the Nuremberg Rallies to the Nuremberg Trials, Frédéric Rossif reminds viewers of the dangers of unchecked power, propaganda, and collective indifference. The film stands as a testament to the importance of remembering the past, not only to honor the victims but also to guard against the repetition of history’s darkest chapters.

 

Links

 

Gallery

DeNurembergANurembergStill01 DeNurembergANurembergStill02 DeNurembergANurembergStill03
DeNurembergANurembergStill04 DeNurembergANurembergStill05 DeNurembergANurembergStill06
DeNurembergANurembergStill07 DeNurembergANurembergStill08 DeNurembergANurembergStill09
DeNurembergANurembergStill10 DeNurembergANurembergStill11 DeNurembergANurembergStill12