The night Paris was not destroyed
Volker Schlöndorff’s new film “Diplomacy” is about the imminent destruction of Paris in August 1944.
Seventy years ago, the fate of Paris lay in the hands of a German General. During the night from 24 to 25 August 1944, he had to decide whether or not to carry out Hitler’s orders to reduce Paris to rubble. In the course of a long conversation a Swedish diplomat persuaded him not to. Filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff has made a psychological drama out of the enthralling dialogue. The real theme is “the power of words”, says the director. The film will be released in Germany on 28 August under the programmatic title “Diplomacy”.
