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(aka "Sophie Scholl -- Die Letzten Tage" )
directed by Marc Rothemund
Germany 2005
Much of post-WWII German cinema has been set in
contemporary times (especially German New Wave) or in the distant past.
However, in the first decade of the 21st Century, several noteworthy movies
have directly examined historical moments that defined today’s Germany. Two
recent examples are Downfall, about Hitler’s last days in his Berlin
bunker, and Good Bye, Lenin!, about East Germans dealing with the
burying of their identities after the re-unification of Germany.
Sophie Scholl -- The Final Days is yet another German cinematic soul
search. After WWII, the Germans were basically forced to say, “We’re sorry
for being the bad guys” over and over again. The Germans essentially weren’t
allowed to mourn for their losses (since their soldiers died for the “wrong”
cause), and the Allies decided that there weren’t any “good” Germans between
1930 and 1945. Still, the remarkable story of Sophie Scholl and The White
Rose began to surface, and at least two movies were made about Scholl and
her brief life. Sophie Scholl is the first of these biopics to be
based on recently released documents that were locked away by the
East-German government.
In Sophie Scholl, Sophie and her brother Hans are arrested for
distributing an anti-Nazi leaflet in a German university during WWII.
Miraculously, both hold up well during interrogation, and their lies
corroborate each other. They are on the verge of being released when the
authorities find additional evidence of anti-Nazi activities in their
apartment.
Sophie Scholl unfolds in a straightforward, matter-of-fact way like
Paul Greengrass’s Bloody Sunday and United 93, though director
Marc Rothemund did not mimic Greengrass’s camerawork and editing style. Like
Greengrass, Rothemund does not editorialize; he simply presents characters
as they go about their business. Therefore, we don’t get a lot of background
details about Sophie Scholl or her brother (even during the interrogation
sequences), though the movie gives us enough information for us to
understand why the Scholls had opinions that were so different from other
Germans’.
Julia Jentsch has numerous awards for her performance, and she does an
excellent job of conveying Sophie Scholl’s remarkable self-control under
pressure. Sophie literally does not crack (except for a brief moment when
she finds out that she has a few hours rather than 99 days to live). Jentsch
indicates Sophie Scholl’s nervousness with a few well-planned eye movements
and mouth twitches, but since her facial expressions could be interpreted as
reactions of relief, Jentsch shows how the real Sophie Scholl might’ve
fooled her interrogators during the early stages of ordeal.
Most of the mid-section is focused on Sophie Scholl’s time with her
interrogator, Robert Mohr. The dialogue was taken from transcriptions of
their discussions, and both Julia Jentsch and Alexander Held are memorable
for giving their complex characters many shadings despite the brief temporal
frame (the movie covers Sophie Scholl’s last six days). Towards the end of
their time together, Mohr begins to respect Sophie Scholl for her composure,
her refusal to back down in the face of intimidation, and her belief in
basic moral decency. Alexander Held makes Mohr’s subtle transformation
credible and believable.
The final third is dominated by Andre Hennicke’s scary performance as Judge
Roland Freisler. Dressed in red robes, Freisler/Hennicke embodies the “blood
justice” of the Nazi regime. Freisler was eager for Hitler’s approval,
though most of the top Nazis held Freisler in contempt. Therefore, perhaps
to ingratiate himself with Der Fuhrer, Freisler imitated Hitler’s
hysterics-laden style of speechifying. Freisler’s style of “communication”
is laughable under ordinary circumstances, but this was a real man with real
power in a real country. Freisler embodied the terrifying nature of Nazi
rule--the ridiculous and the unthinkable were the norms.
The movie is commendably low key in many ways, including its presentation of
very normal people whose community leaders are raging lunatics. However, one
aspect of the production--the music--irritated me. For some reason, the
moviemakers decided to use music cues that would be appropriate for
thrillers. Undoubtedly, the first third of the movie does work as a
thriller, but the performances and the real-life aspect of the story
generate plenty of tension. The “sentimental” music that plays when Sophie
is alone reflecting on her predicament also sounded out of place. All of the
movie’s strongest moments don’t have any music, diegetic or non-diegetic;
listening to the actors’ line deliveries and the actual words spoken were
enough to make me sit on the edge of my seat.
Posters
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Theatrical Release: 13 February 2005
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Zeitgeist - Region 1 - NTSC
Big thanks to Yunda Eddie Feng for the Review!
| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: |
| Distribution |
Zeitgeist Region 1 - NTSC |
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| Runtime | 1:55:36 | |
| Video |
1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate |
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| Audio | Dolby Digital 2.0 surround German | |
| Subtitles | Optional English | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Zeitgeist Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 16 |
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| Comments |
This is an excellent DVD presentation
from Zeitgeist. I was impressed by the high technical quality as
well as the substantive nature of the extras. Video: The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image is very clean and sharp with strong, natural-looking colors. However, it looks like the video was taken from a PAL source that was converted to NTSC. Ghosting is noticeable if you pause and freeze frame through the movie, and the video was mastered with interlace rather than progressive scan. Audio: The Dolby Digital 2.0 surround German audio track offers excellent clarity. This is a dialogue-driven movie, so unlike a lot of action/adventure flicks, the sound mix does not suffer from loud sound effects that bury actors’ voices. You also don’t have to adjust the volume up and down since you’re not going to be startled by unwelcome explosions every few minutes. Still, I had to dial down the volume a little during the courtroom scenes because the guy playing the rancorous judge shouted and shouted and shouted. I want to make a special note of the piano music that plays while the menus are displayed. The audio for the menus has been authored with such transparency and crispness that it feels like there is a piano right behind your TV. Optional English subtitles support the audio. Extras: --Side 1-- The only extra on Side 1 is the U.S. theatrical trailer. --Side 2-- The first extras are a collection of thirteen deleted and extended scenes. The best of these are the “complete” courtroom interrogations; this allows you to compare and contrast the “rough edits” versus the “final edits”. The hour-long “The Making of Sophie Scholl” is a compilation of behind-the-scenes footage as well as candid reflections by members of the cast and crew about their experiences. For example, Julia Jentsch describes her reaction to seeing someone eating a sandwich in a morgue. Finally, there is a collection of interviews with relatives and associates of the people portrayed in the movie. The interview with Sophie Scholl’s sister includes footage of Judge Roland Freisler from another trial, and this footage confirms that the actor playing him in Sophie School was NOT over-acting. All of the extras are in non-anamorphic 1.85:1 with optional English subtitles. --Miscellaneous-- An insert booklet provides chapter listings, information about The White Rose leaflets, an interview with the director, and DVD production credits. My copy of the DVD is housed in a white keep case. I assume that Zeitgeist wanted the color white to be noticeable in honor of The White Rose. |
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Screen Captures
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(Future Film - Region 2- PAL (NO ENGLISH SUBS) TOP vs. Zeitgeist - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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