The fate of Paris hangs in the balance in this WWII drama about the supreme importance of diplomacy. As the Allies approach Paris, Hitler orders that the capital be destroyed. This task falls to General Dietrich von Choltitz, who has already mined the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the bridges over the Seine. In the wee early morning hours, Swedish Consul General Raoul Nording slips into German headquarters unannounced, using a hidden staircase, and spends the night trying everything he can to appeal to von Choltitz’s reason and humanity, and prevent the senseless destruction of Paris. This superb adaptation of the play by “The Tin Drum” director Volker Schlöndorff uses precise, restless camerawork to create a feeling of claustrophobic suspense as the plot races against the clock.