Overview
- Description
- Wawel Castle where Hans Frank set up residence after being named Governor General of the German-occupied (General Government) Polish territories in October 1939. LS and CU of Nazi flag waving from the castle. Pans of Wawel's open courtyard. View of courtyard of Jagellonian University's Collegium Maius, and a memorial statue of Nicolaus Copernicus. 01:04:32 Pan down stone sign for the Institut für Deutsche Ostarbeit (established at Krakow on April 20, 1940 as a German-dominated scientific and historical arm of the General Government of Poland to investigate race and nationality in Poland. It was head quartered in Collegium Maius). A guard stands on duty in the courtyard. Nazi official and a civilian in a suit pose for the camera. Presumably the civilians are members of the staff of the institute. INTs of Wawel castle offices with staff secretaries and men at work at desks. A German official teases and kisses a laughing secretary. CU of official document envelope with a Nazi stamp. Another Nazi (he looks like Himmler but is not) and two women smile and pose for the camera. CU of fingers typing. A woman drinks from teacup. Nazi officials and a few women depart from Wawel Castle. Several officials, SS officer, and some secretaries stay behind in the courtyard and pose for portraits. One man is wearing a cap with a death's head insignia (01:07:01). INT official (possibly the chief of consular, Mr. Keith) on the telephone. Pan of the dark interior of the Wawel offices.
01:07:30 Hans Frank, the Governor-General of the occupied Polish territories, conducts a meeting on a balcony in Wawel, likely in May or July of 1940. Dr. Josef Friedrich Bühler, Frank's deputy-governor, and Frank review folders labeled "Treuhand" and "Vierjahresplan." 01:07:50 Richard Schalk, a Nazi official sent to the region in April 1940, speaks with Frank. One of the family dogs roams the balcony. CUs, Frank speaking. - Duration
- 00:05:16
- Date
-
Event:
April-July 1940
- Locale
-
Krakow,
Poland
- Credit
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, gift of Niklas Frank and Erika Noebel
- Contributor
-
Subject:
Hans Frank
- Biography
-
Hans Frank (1900-1946) was Governor-General of Poland and Hitler's personal attorney. Frank joined a Freikorps unit to fight the Communists, after serving just one year in World War I. In 1919 Frank joined the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, which was later absorbed into the NSDAP. In 1923 he participated in the Beer Hall Putsch as a stormtrooper. In 1926 he passed the bar exam and soon became a star lawyer for the NSDAP, successfully defending Hitler on more than one hundred occasions. He was rewarded with high positions such as Reich Minister of Justice, President of the Academy of German Law, and President of the International Chamber of Law. Frank also became head of the NSDAP legal office and took charge of the research to prove Hitler was not a Jew. In October 1939, soon after the outbreak of World War II, he was named Governor-General of occupied Poland. He was responsible for the exploitation of the civilian population, both Jews and non-Jews; the plundering of Polish cultural treasures for his personal benefit; and the deportation and execution of Jews. He was never included in Hitler's inner circle because Hitler mistrusted lawyers and rejected his middle-class background. In 1942, in a lecture to university students, Frank called for a return to constitutional law, a statement which led to his demise. He was stripped of all party honors and legal positions, except for Governor-General of Poland, because Hitler considered it the worst possible job. After the war Frank converted to Catholicism and confessed his guilt before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. He accused Hitler of deceiving the German people, but he was not spared from a death sentence on three counts of war crimes and four counts of crimes against humanity. He was executed on October 16, 1946.
On April 2, 1925, Hans Frank married Brigitte Herbst (December 25, 1895-March 9, 1959). They had five children: Sigrid Frank (March 13, 1927-1973 by suicide); Norman Frank (June 3, 1928- 2010); Brigitte Frank (January 13,1935-1981); Michael Frank (February 15, 1937-1990); and Niklas Frank (March 9, 1939- ).
Physical Details
- Language
- Silent
- Genre/Form
- Amateur.
- B&W / Color
- Black & White
- Image Quality
- Good
- Time Code
- 01:03:04:00 to 01:08:20:00
- Film Format
- Master
Master 2980 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w and color - acetate - camera original - Perutz - AGFA
Master 2980 Digital: ProRes HD HQ 422 - color - HD
Master 2980 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w and color - acetate - camera original - Perutz - AGFA
Master 2980 Digital: ProRes HD HQ 422 - color - HD
Master 2980 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w and color - acetate - camera original - Perutz - AGFA
Master 2980 Digital: ProRes HD HQ 422 - color - HD
Master 2980 Film: positive - 16 mm - b&w and color - acetate - camera original - Perutz - AGFA
Master 2980 Digital: ProRes HD HQ 422 - color - HD
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- You do not require further permission from the Museum to access this archival media.
- Copyright
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Conditions on Use
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum places no restrictions on use of this material. You do not require further permission from the Museum to reproduce or use this film footage.
- Copyright Holder
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Film Provenance
- This film was captured in 1945 (probably at the same time as Hans Frank's diary in May 1945) by the U.S. intelligence officer Walter Stein who later interrogated Mr. Frank. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum obtained a digital copy of the film from Mr. Stein's niece, Erika Noebel, in Fall 2012. The original 16mm film and rights were donated to the Museum in June 2016 by Hans Frank's son, Niklas.
- Note
- This sequence of film (the reel 2980) contains a mix of color (Perutz non-flammable film) and black and white (AGFA Sicherheitsfilm) stock as well as several original splices and projection scratches. Refer to SSFVA files for detailed information.
- Film Source
- Niklas Frank
- File Number
- Legacy Database File: 5636
- Special Collection
-
Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive
- Record last modified:
- 2024-02-21 08:06:58
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn1004692
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Also in Hans Frank private motion pictures
Hans Frank was a lawyer and major figure in the Nazi Party. In October 1939, Hitler named Frank Governor-General of occupied Poland. He was responsible for the exploitation of the civilian population (both Jews and non-Jews), the plundering of Polish cultural treasures for his personal benefit, and the deportation and execution of Jews. After the war, Frank was tried, convicted, and hanged by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. One of the private 16mm film reels illustrates the everyday life of the Frank family at work and home and on vacation. The other, in color and black and white, was probably shot by someone in the Frank family or a very close member of his staff. It includes relaxed and informal scenes of the Frank family at Wawel Castle and in the Polish countryside, Nazi officials visiting Frank, and a rare color view of Jews in the Krakow ghetto. Hans Frank’s films and diary came into the possession of Walter Stein, an American intelligence officer who interrogated Frank, at the end of the war and remained in the US until the early 21st century. After much negotiation, the films were donated to USHMM in June 2016 by Hans Frank's son Niklas Frank, who has been vocal in his criticism of his father and the Nazi regime.
Jews in Kazimierz in 1940 before the establishment of the ghetto
Film
In color, inside Kazimierz (the Jewish neighborhood of Krakow), Jews wear armbands with the Star of David. Men peer at camera from a shop entrance in BG. Pan of public announcement poster in Polish signed by Schmid (Bekanntmachung LXII was published on May 10, 1940). [Schmid served as Stadthauptmann of Krakow from February 21, 1940 to March 31, 1941; the ghetto was formed on March 3, 1941.] Red Cross YMCA poster. Good CUs of children, one barefoot. Tram, bookstore, and other shops show street activity. Horse and buggy. Street scenes with pedestrians and shuttered shops. 01:18:05 A Jewish man looks at the camera from his storefront labeled with "Jewish store" sign. More shops, including Samuel Pluczenik's textile store [see letters written by the shop's proprietor about a Jewish employee in the USHMM Archive under RG-15.098M]. Street scenes with Jewish children and adults.
Wawel castle; Zakopane carriages
Film
Flag on pole. Guard on duty protects a government (?) building. Wawel Castle exteriors with automobile parked - Hans Frank set up residence in Wawel Castle after being named Governor General of the German-occupied Polish territories in October 1939. 01:18:40 Zakopane sign. People in the city square. Carriages wait for passengers. Street with horse and buggy traffic.
Frank family at Kressendorf; high-ranking official visits Wawel castle
Film
The Frank family eats indoors at Kressendorf winter garden. Norman and his friend Voigt pretend to sleep on the balcony. 01:19:41 HAS exterior street views, and the Wawel castle inner courtyard. [Hans Frank set up residence in Wawel after being named Governor-General of the German-occupied Polish territories in October 1939.] Procession of marching band and troops in the courtyard. 01:20:06 A high-ranking Nazi official marches out and salutes the troops. Official photographers capture the moment. 01:21:20 In color, CU of document stating "An die polnische Bevoelkerung" [To the Polish Population] dated 25 January 1941(?) by Governor-General Dr. Frank. "Ende" (in reverse).
Nazi officials tour Polish countryside
Film
German military truck with diamond insignia on city street. License plate reads: WH 701975. Women in luxurious coats and Nazi officials tour Poland, maybe the Tatra mountains with its park headquarters in Zakopane. Frank's wife, Brigitte, wears a fur coat and headscarf. Hans Frank and Brigitte sit indoors and listen to someone speak about a natural spring or flame encircled with iron railing. 01:12:34 Pan of the Polish landscape and a spa village. A friend chases a goat. 01:13:17 Group of Nazi officials (men and women, including Hans and Brigitte Frank) tour outdoors. The man in uniform is unidentified. Another view of some kind of spring or well. The group climbs stairs of a building with the sign PATRIA. Hans Frank, in the white coat, and other Nazi officials and their wives leave the building. They shake hands and salute. The group walks along a sidewalk toward the camera. CU of a Polish child. Pan of building (PATRIA?) with distinctive railings seen earlier. 01:14:31 A Nazi official jumps over a wooden hurdle inside a stadium in slow motion. CUs, the man laughs and poses for the camera. 01:14:48 Dark shots of Germans touring the Polish countryside.
Posters; Nazi officials visit Tatra mountain region
Film
Perutz logo. 01:15:20 In color, CUs of an poster "Kampf den Wanzen!" (Fight against bedbugs!) and poster for 1939 UFA comedy film "Ich bin gleich weider da" starring Paul Klinger and Mady Rahl. A soldier adjusts a camera tripod. 01:15:45 Scenes of the Polish countryside and Tatra mountains from a slow-moving funicular. 01:16:06 Hans Frank (in the middle with a cane) and other Nazi officials walk outdoors in the snow by a gate that reads "Berghaus Krakau," a mountain hotel on Kalatówki in the Tatra Alp region which served as a guest house for high-ranking German officers during the Nazi occupation. Car with SS license plate (SS 19148) approaches the hotel. Pan of the snowy landscape and mountains (The Frank family learned to ski here). EXT of hotel with Nazi flag (seen earlier at 01:08:21).
Nazi officials dining; January 1940 document
Film
People descend stairs of stone building, the Berglandschaft in the Tatra mountains, a place for high-ranking German officers during the Nazi occupation. Pan up to Nazi flag. Women and children enter through a door. Nazi officials drink beer and eat in a large dining room with patterned curtains. 01:08:39 CU, handwritten document 2749-PS signed by Heinrich Himmler dated 28 January 1940. 01:08:44 Frank and two other men (possibly Bühler to the left and Dr. Karl Lasch to the right) in civilian clothes eat dinner in same dining room. Quick shot of spire (possibly the Kressendorf castle).
Frank family at an estate and visiting the Polish countryside
Film
Large estate near Kressendorf (Krzeszowice, Poland). Three people (including Norman Frank and his best friend Gerd Voigt) walk a dog on the grounds of the estate. They tour the Polish countryside and villages with a horse and carriage. Railroad crossing. Scenes of the countryside from a moving train (this railway line from Krakow to Dresden goes past Auschwitz). 01:10:20 Soft focus shots of Polish children posing for the camera beside a fence, a woman washes in the river. More scenes of the three people on the carriage, then returning to the wooded estate with a guarded gated entrance with Nazi flag (good view of guard at 01:11:28). 01:12:00 The Frank family and their dog sit and read on the balcony. Norman & friend Voigt pose for the camera. CU of small dog.
Train station and sights in Krakow; Nazi motorcade
Film
Handwritten film title card reading "Krakau." A train pulls into station. German soldiers carry bags down the stairs. Men unload luggage and cargo from the cars. A child sells newspapers in Krakow's main square. Troops and civilians mull about. Horses and carriages are lined up for passengers. Telegraph offices, St. Mary's Basilica, and the Podgorze Church. Street scenes including a tram and horses and carriages. A Polish civilian in a business suit crossing the street heils for the camera. Peasants exchange goods at the marketplace. Polish women smile at the camera. CUs of money and food exchanging hands. A German soldier in uniform with swastika armband buys radishes. 01:02:38 Motorcade with motorcycles and cars carrying Nazi officials drive past a large building. Civilians heil. License plate read "Ost".
The Frank family at Schoberhof
Film
At Schoberhof, the Frank family with relatives. CUs of the family - a baby, young boy, and slender woman in a swimsuit. The Frank children Sigrid and Norman play and pose in costumes outdoors with Nanny Sophie. 02:19:47 Nazi flag waving, EXTs. Slow pan and LSs of Schoberhof.
Hans Frank and the children at Schoberhof
Film
Michael on a tricycle at Schoberhof in wintertime. 02:20:59 Extended CUs of family members, including Brigitte (02:21:17) and Hans (02:21:36). Teenage Sigrid balances a vase on her head. The family acts out a scene: they look for grandmother and excitedly welcome her to their home at Schoberhof in the mountains. Happy family, hugging. Children play and pose for the camera, good CUs. 02:24:16 In summertime, a party/celebration with relatives. The kids play outdoors and pose for camera. Hans Frank with Brigitte and Michael take a walk with their dog. 02:24:56 At Schoberhof, Hans runs towards the camera with his children. Skiing, posing for the camera. Brief shot of car bearing the Nazi flag in a snowy city street, license plate beginning with IA-3.
Hans Frank's newborn son
Film
Brigitte Frank (age 44) lays in bed at a hospital in Munich with a newly born son, Niklas, born in March 1939. Dark interior shots, flowers in the room. 02:01:09 Brief shot of grandmother Magdalena Frank. 02:01:31 Brigitte stands outside of the Frank family's vacation home in the snowy mountains, pan of the landscape. A man and the nanny Hilde play with a still photograph camera. Train passes by.
Frank family relaxes at Schoberhof
Film
In summer, the Frank children and mother Brigitte relax at their vacation home at Schoberhof. Brigitte consoles her son, Michael. Nanny reads book to the child Brigitte. Young Niklas in checkered-trim smokes a cigarette. Short scene where young women don furs on the porch with a uniformed German. These are two friends of Brigitte, including a Hungarian countess (Noell?) on the right. 02:04:47 The Frank children and others from the neighborhood wear traditional German attire and pose for the camera. Boys dress as "Cowboys and Indians" possibly for Fasching [could relate to a later scene at 02:24:15]
The Frank family celebrates Christmas; children ski; baby
Film
At home in Schoberhof, the Franks and their nanny exit the doorway of the vacation home. Norman gives the family dog a treat. Nanny with baby. Norman sits near a stack of chairs and furniture. A man takes a picture of Brigitte with baby Niklas (or Michael?), then shows Norman how the camera works. Mother wraps presents; CUs Norman. CUs, toy train. Hans and Brigitte sit together as Brigitte bounces the baby on her knee. A boy lights the candles on the Christmas tree. The family with five children sit for a portrait photo (with a spotlight flash). CU of a record player. Man (father of Hans Frank) smokes. Woman lounges on a couch. Good MS of Hans Frank, then of Norman and the other children. Record spins. Cover of Ludwig Von Beethoven's Symphony No.9. Hans's father drinks a beer and plays with Brigitte (child) outside. INTs, Hans plays with the family dog. Hans Frank and wife Brigitte cross country ski. Daughter Sigrid joins at the entryway to the Schoberhof. 02:11:44 The children ski and jump, some shots in slow motion. The family and children walk and play outdoors in the snow. Brief shot of nanny Hilde with toddler (child Michael?). Mother with a child and an elder man (Rattinger) with a cane. 02:13:45 At a different time (earlier than the last sequence), INTs, nanny Sophie with newborn (Michael? born in February 1937). EXT, Brigitte and her son Norman pose for camera outside their residence; boy climbs a tree.
Newborn child welcomed into the Frank family
Film
EXTs hospital in Munich (where Brigitte Frank gave birth to each of her 5 children), snow on ground. Hans Frank steps out of a car with license plate reading: "IIA - 23818." INTs, CUs of newborn child, possibly Brigitte (Gitty) born in January 1935. Family members pose with mother Brigitte and baby - Lily (Hans Frank's sister) on left. Nurses. Flowers in the room. On the sidewalk with a tram behind, the children - Sigrid and Norman - push the baby in a pram, with mother Brigitte and a nanny. Sigrid mimics the cameraman. INT shots of woman holding newborn child.
