"Sophie Scholl: The Final Days"

Question

Last night I finally got to see "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days", the latest movie concerning the founders of the German anti-Nazi group The White Rose, and I'm happy to say it's terrific. Instead of the usual biopic approach, which typically involves a lot of speculation on the part of the writer(s), this one makes a point of sticking almost exclusively to the facts. Movies based on interviews and court transcripts tend to suffer from being arch and "stagey", but here the director keeps things moving nicely.

One thing you can't watch this movie without thinking is how relevant this story is to the world we live in at the moment. When Hans, Sophie and their friend Christoph Probst are denounced for their lack of patriotism and accused of aiding the enemy for saying that the war in unwinable, it all sounds very familiar. When the presiding judge asks the defendants questions, only to promptly shout them down with nationalist rhetoric as soon as they
begin to answer, you can't help but think of Bill O'Reilly and his ilk. The more things change...
But what I loved most about this movie is how it can tell such a sad, tragic story without feeling maudlin or hopelessly depressing. Even though you know those characters are doomed, you're comforted by the fact that history will vindicate them. It's definitely worth a look, especially for those (i.e. most Americans) who never even knew there was a German resistance movement during WWII.
Cheers,
B

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]But what I loved most about this movie is how it can tell such a sad, tragic story without feeling ... a look, especially for those (i.e. most Americans) who never even knew there was a German resistance movement during WWII.[/nq]
There's another film on the same subject The White Rose also German. I saw it a long time ago and it remains in the memory.

I read a book about the anti-**** Germans who were sent into Germany by the OSS and the US Army just prior to the final push across the Rhine. Some were kind of whacked out, but others were INCREDIBLY courageous.

If you liked Sophie Scholl, you'll probably like "Aimee and Jaguar" true story about a Jewish lesbian who lived with the wife of a senior **** officer who was away on the Russian front.
I have to say (again) how impressed I am by the films that have been coming out of Germany for the last ten years or so.

I'm also very much looking forward to Paul Verhoeven's "Black Book."

And I'm not much looking forward to Tom Cruise in the Hitler assassination film that'sa supposed to be coming out sometime soon(ish).

Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.
Alfred Hitchcock

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Last night I finally got to see "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days", the latest movie concerning the founders of the ... especially for those (i.e. most Americans) who never even knew there was a German resistance movement during WWII. Cheers, B[/nq]
One of the most remarkable stories out of those years that I've been reading about recently was the head of German military intelligence, Wilhelm Canaris who also happened to be the head of the Schwartz Kapelle the secret organization within the German military dedicated to removing Hitler and the **** regime.
Of course, in order to remain in place, he had to be reasonably competent he had to do his job in gathering military intelligence. But at the same time, he's trying desperately to open secret negotiations with the allies essentially saying look, we're trying to remove the *****, what kind of terms will you give us how do we go about ending hostilities?
But all through the course of the war, the allies especially Roosevelt, essentially didn't want a "premature" end to the war. He didn't want the war to end in a way that left Germany with her military intact, and certainly not with the government in control of the generals.
Plus, because early in the war, they'd been suckered in by the SS who were pretending to do the same thing and had lost some agents, they never quite fully trusted any of these advances. They never quite knew whether they were being played.
And so they never went along with it.
But Canaris, who actually managed to survive the war, was one smart guy and you read about some of the manuevering he had to do when he and his fellow conspirators came under suspicion and they did at regular intervals. It's pretty remarkable stuff.
NMS

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]But Canaris, who actually managed to survive the war, was one smart guy and you read about some of the manuevering he had to do when he and his fellow conspirators came under suspicion and they did at regular intervals. It's pretty remarkable stuff.[/nq]
As is the story of Reinhard Gehlen:
Reinhard Gehlen (April 3, 1902 June 8, 1979) was a Major General in the German Wehrmacht during World War II, with the position of chief of intelligence-gathering on the Eastern Front. He was subsequently recruited by the U.S. military to set up a spy ring directed against the Soviet Union.
He ran the West German intelligence apparatus until 1968, and is considered one of the most legendary Cold War spymasters. He organized the Gehlen Organisation, the German portion of Gladio, and later became President of the German Federal Intelligence Bureau.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhard Gehlen

Now there is a subject for a biopic.

Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.
Alfred Hitchcock

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]But Canaris, who actually managed to survive the war, was ... and they did at regular intervals. It's pretty remarkable stuff.[/nq]
[nq:1]As is the story of Reinhard Gehlen: Reinhard Gehlen (April 3, 1902 June 8, 1979) was a Major General ... later became President of the German Federal Intelligence Bureau. Source: Gehlen Now there is a subject for a biopic.[/nq]
I have a Luftwaffe book signed by Adolf Galland, Gunther Rall, and Mackie Steinhof. Met them while doing a documentary. Steinhof ran NATO after the war. Lots of German military were quite adept at survival.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]But what I loved most about this movie is how ... even knew there was a German resistance movement during WWII.[/nq]
[nq:1]There's another film on the same subject The White Rose also German. I saw it a long time ago and it remains in the memory.[/nq]
I've wanted to see that for ages now but, alas, it's been out of print for ages.
[nq:1]I read a book about the anti-**** Germans who were sent into Germany by the OSS and the US Army just prior to the final push across the Rhine. Some were kind of whacked out, but others were INCREDIBLY courageous.[/nq]
What's the title and author? Sounds like something I should add to my amazon.com wishlist.
[nq:1]If you liked Sophie Scholl, you'll probably like "Aimee and Jaguar" true story about a Jewish lesbian who lived with the wife of a senior **** officer who was away on the Russian front.[/nq]
I've had it on my Netflix queue for some time now. I'll bump it up to the top.
[nq:1]I have to say (again) how impressed I am by the films that have been coming out of Germany for the last ten years or so.[/nq]
As have I. The two countries that seem to coming on real strong right now when it comes to their film industry are Germany and South Korea.

Cheers,
B

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]There's another film on the same subject The White ... long time ago and it remains in the memory.[/nq]
[nq:1]I've wanted to see that for ages now but, alas, it's been out of print for ages.[/nq]
Amazon lists new and used VHS copies from $26.
jaybee

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I read a book about the anti-**** Germans who were ... were kind of whacked out, but others were INCREDIBLY courageous.[/nq]
[nq:1]What's the title and author? Sounds like something I should add to my amazon.com wishlist.[/nq]
Can't remember, but Google "book anti-**** Germans" and you'll get a lot of hits.
[nq:2]If you liked Sophie Scholl, you'll probably like "Aimee and ... senior **** officer who was away on the Russian front.[/nq]
[nq:1]I've had it on my Netflix queue for some time now. I'll bump it up to the top.[/nq]
The wife was still alive when the film was made & appears in the Extras it's all very moving and tragic.
"Swing Kids" is also excellent. as is "Comedian Harmonists"

Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.
Alfred Hitchcock

"Sophie Scholl: The Final Days"

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