The bonus track of the DVD of "Operation Finale" provides incisive analysis of the goals of the filmmakers in re-filming the story of the nabbing Adolf Eichmann in Argentina, then sending him to Israel in what should be considered the trial of the century in 1961. Another film called "The Man Who Captured Eichmann" was produced in 1996 and featured Robert Duvall in the role of Eichmann. The more recent film with Ben Kingsley is a worthy companion piece to the earlier film version.
The bonus track opens with Kingsley describing "Operation Finale" as "the capturing of a monster and the honoring of the monster's victims." The film was successful in its painstaking recreation of the capture of Eichmann and the tricky process of flying him to Israel. The screenplay drew on the autobiographical "In My Hands" by Peter Malkin, who was one of the principal operatives involved in the apprehending of Eichmann and facilitating his secret transportation to Israel for trial. The most dynamic part of the film was the relationship of Malkin (Oscar Isaac) and Eichmann and the unanticipated empathy for the Nazi war criminal that developed on the part of Malkin, whose beloved sister was a victim of the Holocaust.
Another interesting character development in the film was in the figure of Sylvia Hermann, a young Jewish woman who starts a romantic relationship with Eichmann's son Klaus, then discovers that he is part of a Nazi cabal in Argentina. Hermann's efforts in blowing the whistle on the suspected residence of Klaus' father led the Mossad to Argentina. David Ben-Gurion, the national founder of the State of Israel and its first Prime Minister, took it from there to order to the apprehension of Eichmann in a top secret operation.
There is one problematic scene in the film that reveals Eichmann losing his cool for a moment and lapsing into the mode of "the monster" as he taunts Malkin and relishes in the memory of the death of Malkin's sister Fruma. The scene was out of character for the poised Eichmann. In the commentary track, the film's director described the scene as "conjectural," but he failed to grasp the implications of taking license with such an over-the-top interpretation.
In that explosive scene, the choices of Director Chris Weitz and screenwriter Chris Weitz resulted in a cliché depiction of a psychopathic killer. But the historical truth about Adolf Eichmann as a steely bureaucratic, who was one of the masterminds of the extermination of millions of human lives without feeling any emotional connection to the atrocities, is even more sinister. It is much more disturbing to contemplate the architect of the most horrific genocide of the twentieth century as a man who genuinely believes he was acting in the best interests of his nation in his capacity as the non-descript head of the "Office of Jewish Affairs." Eichmann rarely showed emotion, as apparent in the trial, and it is unlikely that he would unravel to the extent portrayed in the short scene in the Buenos Aires safe house.
The film was nonetheless successful in unfolding the importance of the capture and trial of Eichmann, which for the first time brought eyewitnesses to the fore to tell the story of the Holocaust. And it did so through the medium of television in the context of a trial broadcast to millions of viewers. One of the most striking moments in the film was the appearance of Eichmann's wife in Israel where she visited her husband in prison. That was the fulfillment of a promise made and a promise kept by Peter Malkin to reunite Eichmann with his wife for a final meeting. The contrast of Eichmann and Malkin is one of barbarism versus compassion. That is one of the most memorable achievements of this fine film.
The bonus track opens with Kingsley describing "Operation Finale" as "the capturing of a monster and the honoring of the monster's victims." The film was successful in its painstaking recreation of the capture of Eichmann and the tricky process of flying him to Israel. The screenplay drew on the autobiographical "In My Hands" by Peter Malkin, who was one of the principal operatives involved in the apprehending of Eichmann and facilitating his secret transportation to Israel for trial. The most dynamic part of the film was the relationship of Malkin (Oscar Isaac) and Eichmann and the unanticipated empathy for the Nazi war criminal that developed on the part of Malkin, whose beloved sister was a victim of the Holocaust.
Another interesting character development in the film was in the figure of Sylvia Hermann, a young Jewish woman who starts a romantic relationship with Eichmann's son Klaus, then discovers that he is part of a Nazi cabal in Argentina. Hermann's efforts in blowing the whistle on the suspected residence of Klaus' father led the Mossad to Argentina. David Ben-Gurion, the national founder of the State of Israel and its first Prime Minister, took it from there to order to the apprehension of Eichmann in a top secret operation.
There is one problematic scene in the film that reveals Eichmann losing his cool for a moment and lapsing into the mode of "the monster" as he taunts Malkin and relishes in the memory of the death of Malkin's sister Fruma. The scene was out of character for the poised Eichmann. In the commentary track, the film's director described the scene as "conjectural," but he failed to grasp the implications of taking license with such an over-the-top interpretation.
In that explosive scene, the choices of Director Chris Weitz and screenwriter Chris Weitz resulted in a cliché depiction of a psychopathic killer. But the historical truth about Adolf Eichmann as a steely bureaucratic, who was one of the masterminds of the extermination of millions of human lives without feeling any emotional connection to the atrocities, is even more sinister. It is much more disturbing to contemplate the architect of the most horrific genocide of the twentieth century as a man who genuinely believes he was acting in the best interests of his nation in his capacity as the non-descript head of the "Office of Jewish Affairs." Eichmann rarely showed emotion, as apparent in the trial, and it is unlikely that he would unravel to the extent portrayed in the short scene in the Buenos Aires safe house.
The film was nonetheless successful in unfolding the importance of the capture and trial of Eichmann, which for the first time brought eyewitnesses to the fore to tell the story of the Holocaust. And it did so through the medium of television in the context of a trial broadcast to millions of viewers. One of the most striking moments in the film was the appearance of Eichmann's wife in Israel where she visited her husband in prison. That was the fulfillment of a promise made and a promise kept by Peter Malkin to reunite Eichmann with his wife for a final meeting. The contrast of Eichmann and Malkin is one of barbarism versus compassion. That is one of the most memorable achievements of this fine film.