If you liked this doc-Nazis: The Occult Conspiracy (1998) you should watch this one also!








The Secret Glory tells the story of Otto Rahn (1904-1939), who worked in Ahnenerbe (Ancestral Heritage Society), a Schutz-Staffel division in the Nazi Germany. Rahn was convinced he knew where to find the Holy Grail and after being nominated an SS officer, he finally had the resources to pursue it. Otto Rahn was a writer who's life's passion was to pursue the Grail. This is an object that was made from the crown of Lucifer after his fall from grace. Its a powerful relic that Rahn believed could be found by decoding the poem Parzival by Wolfram Von Eschenbach. Rahn found backing for his ideas in the mystical societies that were active in Germany between the world wars. The societies were tied to right wing politics and it wasn't long before Rahn was attached to the Nazi's and the SS. Its a dark story about a man who ended up in a situation that was way over his head. The ability to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the Nazi interest in the occult is a difficult thing. There have been more than a fair share of books and films on the subject and not all of them have been scrupulous in their reporting. What you think is real very often not and what you think is not occasionally is. Myth and legend and fact have intertwined so much that anything is possible, especially for an open mind. This is Stanley's attempt to unravel the knot (or begin to unravel since Stanley in the commentary on the DVD states that some documents concerning some of the subjects are just now being declassified. Stanley hopes to pursue more leads and produce a longer cut later). The film is structured as a mystical journey. The visuals and music are often very hypnotic taking you to another place and time. The visuals, taken from photographs and old films are supplemented with interviews with people who knew Rahn and spell out, occasionally contradictorily, the events in Rahn's life. It takes Rahn from his days in college to his final days in the SS. Richard Stanley has fashioned a unique film about a unique character. Its a film that is made in such away as to suck you in and to give you some sense of the subject and the times. Its a good film and good introduction to the weird mind set that one often finds when one looks at the Nazi/occult connection.

SCREENSHOT