Amen.

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Amen.

Directed by	Costa-Gavras
Produced by	Andrei Boncea Michèle Ray-Gavras
Written by	Jean-Claude Grumberg Costa-Gavras
Starring	Ulrich Tukur Mathieu Kassovitz
Cinematography	Patrick Blossier
Distributed by	Kino International US Pathé France
Release date(s)	2002
Running time	132min
IMDb profile

Amen. is a 2002 German, Romanian, and French film directed by Costa-Gavras. (Note that the period punctuation is part of the title. “Amen” is a Hebrew expression meaning “So be it”). The German-language version was released under the title ’‘Der Stellvertreter’’ (translated into English as ’‘The Representative’’ or ’‘The Deputy’’).

The film is based on a 1963 play by Rolf Hochhuth, ’‘The Deputy, a Christian Tragedy’’.

1 Main cast
- 1.1 Additional cast
2 Plot
3 Controversy
4 Location
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Main cast

Ulrich Tukur as Kurt Gerstein
Mathieu Kassovitz as Riccardo Fontana

[edit] Additional cast

Ulrich Mühe
Michel Duchaussoy
Ion Caramitru
Marcel Iureş
Friedrich von Thun
Antje Schmidt
Hanns Zischler
Sebastian Koch
Erich Hallhuber
Burkhard Heyl
Angus MacInnes
Bernd Fischerauer
Pierre Franckh
Taylor Richard Durden
Monica Bleibtreu
Justus von Dohnányi
Gunther-Maria Halmer
August Zirner
Horatiu Malaele
Ovidiu Cuncea
Markus Hering
Susanna Lothar
Alexander Geringas
Theodor Danetti

[edit] Plot

The film "Amen." examines the links between the Vatican and Nazi Germany. The central character is Kurt Gerstein, a member of the Institute for Hygiene of the Waffen-SS who is horrified by what he sees in the death camps. Moreover, he is shocked to learn that the process he used to purify water for his troops, by using zyklon, served as a basis to kill people in gas chambers. Gerstein attempts to notify Pope Pius XII, but is appalled by the lack of response he gets from the Catholic hierarchy. The only person moved is Riccardo Fontana, a young Jesuit priest.

While the character of Kurt Gerstein is historical, the plot is not (most noticeably, the character of the young priest).

[edit] Controversy

In addition to the criticism that had already been raised about "The Deputy" for its portrayal of the role of the Catholic Church during the Holocaust, the film created controversy in Catholic circles by its poster (created by controversial Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani) representing a mix of a Christian cross and a swastika.

[edit] Location

Since the Holy See did not allow filming in the Vatican, the scenes in the papal palaces were shot in the Palace of the Parliament of Bucharest, Romania.