The General's Dog

General Rampf is facing a commission investigating war crimes, where he, amongst others, is held responsible for a senseless deployment order which cost the lives of 60 soldiers. Rampf is accused of waging a vendetta against Private Pfeiffer, who mistakenly had shot the general's dog. His evaluation of witness testimonies clearly shows that the prosecutor has no intention to punish Rampf - he picks up on the defendant's claim of "Befehlsnotstand" (superior orders)... Using the means of an explicitly anti-illusionist theatre, Kipphardt shows the realities of war from the perspective of Private Pfeiffer, the sole survivor of the operation, and from the point of view of the General who is thinking in completely different dimensions. In addition to that, the trial situation gets interrupted by scenic flashbacks, songs, newsreels, and projections, which not only expose the military, but also a justice system whose methods are unsuited to solve Nazi crimes.