Eichmann Trial -- Session 1 -- Reading of 15 counts of indictment
Creator(s)
- Leo Hurwitz (Director)
- J. Kalach (Camera Operator)
- Rolf M. Kneller (Camera Operator)
- Milton Fruchtman (Producer)
- J. Jonilowicz (Camera Operator)
- F. Csaznik (Camera Operator)
- Emil Knebel (Camera Operator)
- Capital Cities Broadcasting Corporation (Producer)
- Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
Biographical History
Emil Knebel was a cinematographer known for Andante (2010), Adam (1973), and Wild Is My Love (1963). He was one of the cameramen who recorded daily coverage of the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem (produced by Capital Cities Broadcasting Corp and later held academic positions in Israel and New York teaching filmmaking at universities. Refer to CV in file.
Scope and Content
Session 1. German translation of the First Count, Letter (h). Judge Moshe Landau continues to read the fifteen counts against Adolf Eichmann, followed by the German translation. When the recitation is complete, Judge Landau asks Eichmann if he understands the charges against him, and Eichmann responds affirmatively. Defense Attorney Dr. Robert Servatius requests permission to voice objections against the court before his client enters a formal plea. Judge Landau agrees, and Dr. Servatius states a concern for both the objectivity and competence of the court. Dr. Servatius suggests that an Israeli court lacks sufficient objectivity due to biases produced by the circumstances for which Eichmann is being tried. The defense claims that any Judge with a personal connection to an individual(s) and/or event(s) involved in the Holocaust would be unable to maintain impartiality when making a decision on Eichmann's involvement. All comments are translated into Hebrew or German, respectively.
Note(s)
See official transcripts, published in "The Trial of Adolf Eichmann", Vol. I-V, State of Israel, Ministry of Justice, Jerusalem, 1994. Also available online at the Nizkor Project http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/people/e/eichmann-adolf/transcripts/Sessions/. The dialogue is in three languages: German, Hebrew, and English. Adolf Eichmann and Defense Counsel Robert Servatius speak in German, which is translated into Hebrew. The Judges and Attorney General Gideon Hausner speak Hebrew. An English translation of the proceedings is dubbed over all of the dialogue by translators. The presiding Judges are Moshe Landau, Benjamin Halevi, and Yitzchak Raveh. Also present are Assistant State Attorneys Gabriel Bach and Ya'akov Bar-Or. There are periodic breaks in the footage.
Subjects
- TRIALS
- COURTS/COURTROOMS
- WAR CRIMINALS/WAR CRIMES TRIALS
- SERVATIUS, ROBERT
- MAJDANEK
- JUDGES
- PROSECUTORS
- EICHMANN, ADOLF
- EICHMANN TRIAL
Places
- Jerusalem, Israel
Genre
- Film
- Unedited.