Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage [2005]

Customer Reviews:

Elegiac and moving true story.......2008-02-05

This powerful, lyrical film truly manages to shine a light in the most dismal of settings. A whole-hearted recommendation from me to anyone who appreciates a true story of courage and devotion.

I was instantly struck by the similarities in mood, construction, and symbolism to such French classics as Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc" and Sandrine Bonnaire's turn as Joan in "Jeanne la Pucelle: Les Prisons." But this movie strikes a much more defiant tone. Julia Jentsch gives a bravura evocation of the remarkable Sophie Scholl. Her character is forthright, steadfast, and hopeful in the face of the Gestapo and the Nazi kangaroo court to which she is condemned. Director Rothemund wisely respects his material enough to allow it to stand on its own merits, without grandstanding or exaggeration. Much of the film takes place in the form of dialogue between Sophie and the other imprisoned resistance leaders and their accusers. It's a spare but effective presentation, given depth by the nuanced and faithful performances of the cast and the striking photography. There's a stately Greek drama quality to it; Sophocles could have written something very similar.

A lesson for our own times from the darkest days of WWII, when an undaunted band of German students -- the White Rose movement -- risked all for freedom. There is much more background information, trailers, etc. available at the movie's website.

Nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign-language Film, 2005. Winner of several German film awards.

"We will not be silent."

superb.......2008-02-03

This is a filmed piece of theatre that relies on perfectly cast actors, sharp dialogue, fascinating dramatic conflicts and, above all, a factual story that is both harrowing and uplifting. The final days of Hans and Sophie Scholl are not delivered here as an easy triumph of good over evil, nor is moral right simplistically dispensed between Nazi and non-Nazi. Evil is made palpable, and it is believable because of its power to use human agents not lost to evil. Good is convincing, and it is demanding because it tears its human agents between truth and life. The final image of this film shocks in a far more powerful way than mere cinema horror - but to explain its impact takes us back to the whole film. It should not missed.

P.S. I agree with viewers who place this film ahead of "Downfall" and for the reason that that film's nihilism, in the end, is too close to thing it would seem to condemn.

Well made and worthy.......2008-01-18

This is a very well acted and directed film, an inspiring and moving account of one of the few real acts of resistance to Hitler's regime that was undertaken by Germans themselves. It consists almost entirely of a depiction of the interrogation of Sophie Scholl after her arrest for distributing anti-nazi leaflets around her Munich University campus. The interrogation is not brutal, rather more a psychological game in which the Nazi seems almost to be aware of the truth of what Sophie is telling him, just perplexed as to why she has dared to speak when virtually nobody else has. And for the contemporary German cinema goer, Sophie is the present generation asking their grandparents why they never spoke out.

That her and her friends' defiance was almost unique, and that it was carried out by such young and idealistic people, hoping to spread a student rebellion throught the university campuses of Germany, simply emphasises the bravery and pathetic tragedy of Sophie. There was to be no wide-scale student revolt. In fact, most Germans at the time who heard about her actions regarded her as a traitor.

The film really excells towards the end however, with the public trial of Sophie and her brother. In particular the scene where she tells her accusers that 'they too will soon be standing where I am standing' is quite memorable and enough to lift an extremely worthy film into the category of the extremely good.

Superb film, bad DVD transfer.......2008-01-15

This really is a superb film with outstanding performances, well-written script and brilliantly directed. It can't be faulted as a film. You definitely have to see it.

But beware! Try to avoid the UK DVD release as it is only a letterboxed transfer. Why?!!! This really is a wasted opportunity on the part of those responsible for the DVD production - it surely can't be that impossible to have produced an anamorphic DVD. It was shot at 1.85:1 ratio and it is such a shame to see it letterboxed within 4:3 aspect on a 16:9 monitor. Buy the US DVD as it is anamorphic. Or even better see it at the cinema, if you can. 5 stars for the film; 1 star for the UK DVD release.

Gripping & moving.......2007-11-11

Maybe it's because I had a drink or two when I watched this last night, but by the end of this great film I had shed a tear or two. More likely it was Julia Jentsch's extremely powerful performance as Sophie Scholl, a person who put principle before her own well-being. I found it a very under-stated turn by Jentsch which could so easily have led to a more 'bombastic' performance. It is to her & the director's credit that they kept a tight reign on things. All the other performances are first class, too, but it's Jentsch's film & she gives a masterclass in using her face to show a wide range of emotions. At no time did I find this to be slow-moving or boring, but then I don't think a film needs to be full of action & explosions to be entertaining.

UK DVD:

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UK DVD