Does the truth matter? How do you convince the world that an aspiring dictator means exactly what he says? The Limits of Truth tells the story of a Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent, H.R. Knickerbocker, who reported from Berlin during the rise of Hitler and was one of the first journalists to expose the existential threat he posed to democracy and to Jews.
Synopsis
H.R. Knickerbocker (1898-1949) witnessed Hitler’s rise to power and was one of the first journalists to understand the seriousness of Hitler’s dark intent. As Berlin Bureau Chief of the New York Evening Post and the Philadelphia Public Ledger, and a correspondent for Heart’s International News Service, he interviewed every person of consequence in Germany including Hitler, Goering and Goebbels. A fellow correspondent wrote, “most of [the rest of] us thought Hitler was a bad Austrian joke…”
One of the few American witnesses of Hitler’s failed Beer Hall Putsch in Munich in 1923, Knickerbocker covered the trial and kept a watchful eye on Hitler for the next decade. His articles and books were published in both the U.S. and Germany and he was a celebrity in both countries. He was the highest paid correspondent in his day.
Knickerbocker’s relentless, unsparing accounts of the persecution of the Jews gained him admiration – and enemies. They drew backlash from American readers, rage from top Nazis and even hostility from his own employers, including Hearst. He continued reporting the truth in spite of challenges to his career and personal safety.
He was killed in a plane crash while on assignment in 1949 and is largely forgotten.
About the Director
Zeva Oelbaum
Zeva Oelbaum is an award-winning documentary director and producer. Her work has been supported by the National Endowment of the Humanities, the New York State Council on the Arts and the Women in Film Finishing Fund, among others. She produced Ahead of Time about the trailblazer Ruth Gruber and produced and co-directed Letters from Baghdad about Gertrude Bell.
Academy award-winner Tilda Swinton voiced, and exec produced the film and it was broadcast internationally on PBS, BBC and ARTE among many others. Most recently, Oelbaum co-directed and co- produced Obsessed with Light about the wildly original American performer, Loïe Fuller, who influenced everyone from Toulouse-Lautrec to Taylor Swift. The film was co-produced by ZDF/ Germany in collaboration with ARTE/France.
Oelbaum comes to film from a career as a still photographer. Her photographs have been extensively exhibited and published in periodicals such as The New York Times Magazine.
Artistic Statement
As filmmakers, we are passionate about exploring individuals through the intersection of history, culture and film in order to create an immersive experience into history that remains deeply relevant today.
Knickerbocker’s story epitomizes this convergence, providing a vital springboard for the discussion of antisemitism.
Exclusive access to Knickerbocker’s newly unearthed home movies and private papers allows us to transform an historical narrative into an intimate, first-person story. He is an appealing messenger– photogenic and glamorous. When we see him playing with his family in private moments, we quickly form a personal connection to him. The film will be constructed as a dialogue between Knickerbocker’s personal life and his work as a foreign correspondent. The stark contrast between Knickerbocker’s somber reporting and the exuberance of his home movie footage reveals a profound tension within his personal and professional world. It is a duality that we are anxious to excavate and explore.
Year
(in production)
Film Type
Feature Documentary
Film Length
TBD
Language
English
Production Country
United States
Director
Zeva Oelbaum
Producer
Susan Margolin
Subject Region
USA
Germany
Funding
With Assistance from Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Finance
Stills
