The interviews were conducted on behalf of Philo Bregstein’s film Otto Klemperer’s journey through his times (1973, 95 min). Bregstein made this film about the German conductor and composer Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) on assignment for R.M. Productions. In these interviews, Bregstein paid attention not only to Klemperer’s life but also to the broader musical climate in Germany in the 20th century. Here, attention is paid to the influence of Mahler, Bruckner, Schoenberg and Strawinsky. The interviews are therefore useful for broader music history.

In the early 20th century, Klemperer’s unusual, modern opera staging attracted attention. Klemperer came from a Jewish family and consequently left Germany for the United States in 1933. After World War II, he settled in Zurich. The commentary accompanying the film is largely spoken by the conductor himself, compiled from the interviews. His daughter Lotte also appears in it. The production was later, on May 19, broadcast on German television (ARD) under the title Otto Klemperers lange Reise, which is in the Sound & Vision archives.

The following individuals were interviewed:

• Otto Klemperer (1885-1973)
• Lotte Klemperer (1923-2003)
• Katia Mann (1883-1980), the wife of Thomas Mann. After World War II, like Klemperer, she lived in Zurich. Thomas Mann was a great writer and public intellectual.

Bregstein also made a separate film in 1971 about the rehearsals leading up to the last concert Klemperer conducted in September 1971. This appeared under the title Otto Klemperer in rehearsal and concert (54 min).

After World War II, the Netherlands wanted to annex large parts of Germany as compensation for the damage suffered during the war. In a series of interviews held by the Film and Science Foundation, four interviewees were asked about their motivations for their position in the discussion about the possible annexation of German territories by the Netherlands immediately after the war. The following individuals were interviewed by A.P. van Goudoever, A.A.M. van Schaik, R.L. Schuursma and Sj. Vellenga:

• Mr. J.A.H.J. van der Dussen: During the occupation, Van der Dussen, mayor of Hengelo at the time, repeatedly showed his dislike for the practices and ideology of the occupying forces, resulting in “the necessary conflicts,” as described in the book “Hengelo in wartime” (Jan-Pieter van Vree, 1985), which mentions “numerous confrontations” with the German authorities and the NSB. On June 5, 1942, Van der Dussen was arrested and transferred to Camp Beekvliet in Sint-Michielsgestel. After the war, he again became mayor of Hengelo, this time from 1945 to 1951.
• G.B.J. Hiltermann: He worked for De Telegraaf for some time. In 1942 he resigned from the newspaper, according to his own account, because the Germans forced the newspaper to publish an anti-Semitic article. After that, he was one of the co-founders of Elsevier, which first appeared after the war.
• Mrs. Dr. H. Verwey-Jonker: Even before World War II, she devoted herself to the reception of Jewish refugees in the Dommel House, and she remained involved throughout the war. Together with her husband, she also supported the Philips Command in Camp Vught.
• Politician F.J. Goedhart: After the outbreak of World War II, Goedhart illegally published Pieter ‘t Hoen’s Newsletter, which contained political opinion articles about the situation the Netherlands had found itself in. In January 1942, Goedhart was arrested along with politician Herman Wiardi Beckman on the beach at Scheveningen while attempting to flee to England. Goedhart was sentenced to death, but managed to escape in a transport from the Vught camp on August 2, 1943.

Geert van de Molen, Tine Boeke-Kramer, Riete Sterenberg-Gompertz and Rachel van Amerongen. Four women, four resistance fighters. Why did they revolt against the German occupier and what consequences did this have for their lives? These questions are central to the oral history project ‘Four Resistance Women’ (2009), which refines the stereotypical image of women in the resistance.

Women were thought to have played a supporting role, often as couriers. This image is not correct for the four women in this project. The choice for the resistance appeared to be strongly politically motivated for the communist Geert van der Molen, who grew up in a reformed bargees’ family, while the nurse Tine Boeke-Kramer became involved in the resistance when she met Jewish refugees. She brought many Jewish children to hiding addresses. Riete Sterenberg-Gompertz forged personal identification cards and Rachel van Amerongen got into the resistance through her marriage to a non-Jewish Surinam resistance fighter. Their activities varied from forging personal identification cards to producing illegal newspapers and helping people in hiding. All interviewed women had been in German concentration camps.

The 5th interview was conducted with a brother of interviewee 4.

However different the four women were, art and culture were of great importance in their lives and also during the war. Music gave strength to go on or was an outlet for fears. Others used their artistic talent in their resistance activities.

During the Second World War, between 22,000 and 25,000 Dutchmen served in Waffen-SS formations. Despite their relatively large number, they hardly went public after the war, which is why little is known about the wartime experiences of this group that was generally regarded as traitors. Their personal stories have made their way into the history books only sparsely. But this group of Dutch people, who collaborated with the Germans, is also part of the war history and in order to obtain a complete picture of the past, it is important that their stories are not lost either.

In this interview project, former Dutch SS members talk about the pre-war period, their origins and their motives for joining the Waffen-SS. They also discuss their wartime experiences. The interviews show how strong the attraction was that National Socialism exerted on some people. They also provide insight into the social consequences of their collaboration.