In 1961, United Nations’ secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane mysteriously crashed, killing Hammarskjöld and most of the crew. It’s understood that because Hammarskjöld was, at the time, advocating for Congo’s independence (against the wishes of European mining companies and other powerful entities), the “crash” was an assassination. With the case still unsolved 50-plus years later, Danish journalist, filmmaker, and provocateur Mads Brügger (The Red Chapel, The Ambassador) leads us down an investigative rabbit hole to unearth the truth. He, his Swedish private-investigator sidekick, and a host of co-conspirators tirelessly pursue a winding trail of clues, but they turn up more mysteries than revelations. Scores of false starts, dead ends, and elusive interviews later, they begin to sniff out something more monumental than anything they’d initially imagined. In his signature agitprop style, Brügger becomes both filmmaker and subject, challenging the very nature of truth by “performing” the role of truth seeker. As Brügger uncovers a critical secret that could send shockwaves around the world, we realize that sometimes absurdity and irony are the emboldening ingredients needed to confront what’s truly sinister.
The story of Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary-General of the United Nations , who was killed in an air crash in September 1961 This programme portrayed the events in the Congo and Hammarskjold’s attempt to pacify the situation after its Belgian colonisers abruptly pulled out.
The film includes interviews with Brian Urquhart and Conor Cruise O’Brien, with scenes from his play Murderous Angels. BBC 2nd House, 1976.
Narrated by Melvin Bragg Directed by Tristram Powell
