The Damned

Visconti's film probes the German soul on the eve of Nazi power, meticulously dissecting the emotional lives of members of a powerful munitions dynasty. Dirk Bogarde portrays a 'modern Macbeth' who ruthlessly gains control of the steel empire during Hitler's rise to power. Helmut Griem plays a leader in Hitler's SA troops whose power grabbing schemes end when he is slaughtered by the SS in a spectacular re-creation of the infamous 'Night of the long knives'. What develops is a complex study in intrigue and obsessions, culminating in the weird power struggle involving Friederich (Bogarde) and Martin (Helmut Berger).