Zeitgeist Films present Sophie Scholl – The Final Days. Written by Fred Breinersdorfer. Running Time: 117 minutes. Not Rated.
Director:
Marc Rothemund
Cast:
Julia Jentsch……….Sophie Magdalena Scholl
Fabian Hinrichs……….Hans Scholl
Gerald Alexander Held……….Robert Mohr
Florian Stetter……….Christoph Probst
Johanna Gastdorf……….Else Gebel
The Movie:
With a title that includes “The Final Days,” you know you’re not in for a happy, uplifting story. You also know when you’re watching a movie about WWII,that takes place in Germany, that it’s not going to be fun and fancy free. This is the true story of Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch), her brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs), and some friends that formed an anti-Nazi group called The White Rose. They distributed leaflets informing the people of the atrocities Hitler was committing and why he was bad for the country.
While distributing the latest batch of leaflets, Sophie and her brother are caught by the Gestapo. They are brought in and Sophie is interrogated by Detective Robert Mohr (Gerald Held). A bulk of the film is these two people in his office philosophically debating German politics and what is right, what is just. It’s difficult to make a movie that’s just two people talking interesting and engaging, but this film succeeds admirably. While it is the dialogue that makes these scenes work, it’s the phenomenal acting on the part of both Jentsch and Held that really sells it. Towards the end, Sophie seems to be changing Moh’s mind; and while he can’t say so out loud, you can see on it on his face. He goes from condemning her to wanting to help her. (Interesting side note: The dialogue in these scenes is mostly taken word for word from original transcripts preserving the authenticity.)
Sophie is charged with treason, demoralizing the troops, and aiding the enemy. She is then imprisoned and put on trial for her crimes along with Hans and their friend Christoph Probst (Florian Stetter). In prison, Sophie becomes close with her cellmate Else Gebel (Johanna Gastdorf), who was imprisoned for being a communist.
The most gripping scene in the film is the trial, which comes off more as a witch-hunt than anything. The Scholls’ defense lawyer just sits there and says nothing while the judge continues to berate them. As Hans talks about how ending the war is the only way to save German, one can’t help but think about our own situation here in America. It makes you really appreciate our own freedoms. These young kids – Sophia was 21 – were sentenced to death for speaking their mind, for suggesting a better, more peaceful way of life, for daring to say Hitler was not looking out for the best interests of his people.
With a cornucopia for Holocaust films flooding the world, it’s refreshing to see a WWII film covering different aspects of this subject. These kids are very reminiscent of the anti-war movement here in America during Vietnam. The film’s subject matter may be heavy, it isn’t hard to watch; there aren’t any beating scenes or anything. It is apparent from the beginning that Sophie is a very strong, intelligent person, and it is sad to see this great mind taken away from this earth at such a young age. The final image of the film is a strong one and stays with you long after the film has fade to black.
Sophie being blessed by a priest on her final day.
The DVD:
The Video:
The film is presented widescreen 1.85:1. I’m pretty sure this was shot on digital. It has the look of a made-for-TV movie. It’s a shame they didn’t have the budget for film, it would have looked a lot better that way. But it doesn’t at all distract from the greatness of the film.
The Audio:
Sophie Scholl is presented in Stereo. This film is in German with English subtitles. The sound here is fine as well, nothing really special or stand out about it.
Extras:
(Note: This is a two sided disc.)
Side One:
U.S. Trailer
Side Two:
Historical Interviews: There are three interviews. One with Franz Muller, a member of the White Rose, and Walter Gebel, nephew of Sophie’s cell mate Else Gebel; one with Willi Mohr, son of Inspector Mohr; and one with Elisabeth Hartnagel, sister of Sophie and Hans. These are amazing interviews and give you great insight into who Sophie Scholl and the White Rose were. There is also a couple minutes of actual footage from the trial of Hans being berated by the judge.
Deleted & Extended Scenes: Some nice scenes are here, but it makes sense why they were cut. The Extended Court Room scene is really good.
Making Of: This is a very in-depth, one hour making-of documentary. You get interviews with everyone, from the cast to many members of the crew. There is also tons of behind-the-scenes footage, sometimes putting the scene being shot, side-by-side with the final product, which is really cool. One interesting thing about this film is that it was shot entirely in order.
The Inside Pulse:
This is a great movie that seems to have slipped through the cracks. I encourage all to go out and rent it and experience Sophie Scholl’s final days for yourself. It’s good to know that not all Germans blindly followed Hitle’s terrible ways.
