The Top Secret Trial Of The Third Reich (First Run DVD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: D     Main Program: B-

 

 

With the release of Valkyrie on Blu-Ray (reviewed elsewhere on this site) and DVD, it was inevitable more titles of the actual true Operation Valkyrie would be released.  The Top Secret Trial Of The Third Reich focuses on a few plots to kill Adolf Hitler in their aftermath.  With actual footage of the courtroom procedures and event footage it makes a decent watch.  What fails here is that there is too much going on without enough detail.  It just hops from person to person not fully explaining everything.  Not understanding why other then Hitler is bad downplays the courtroom scenes.  The narrator is fairly boring delivering in a low monotone voice and often hard to understand.  It is still worth watching as the footage here is very rare and seldom seen before.

 

As is expected with the 1.33 X 1 (usually black & white) picture and Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono sound it is not very good.  This footage is going on 60-70 years old now, so what can really be done with it.  Archival footage even with bad quality still tops some horrible recreation and bad editing techniques.

 

 

-   Nate Rutkus