Sophie Scholl The Final Days DVD with Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs, Gerald Alexander Held (Unrated) +Movie Reviews

A real hero

H. Schneider | window seat | 10/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Based on newly available documents, this "real story" retells some aspects of the White Rose resistance movement. The center piece of the movie is the interrogation of Sophie by a devoted Nazi, who nevertheless tries to save her and tries to build bridges for her, which she can not agree to cross. This is very intense and thrilling, Julia Jentsch is great and convincing as Sophie, but so is the interrogator.

The climax is the court procedure with Freisler in the chair. The court atmosphere may be nearly unbelievable to those who are not familiar with the history of Nazi "jurisprudence". It shows very well what anybody could have found himself up against for "crimes" like distributing leaflets.

Some reviews are putting this small masterpiece on par with The Downfall which came out about the same time. I do not manage to agree. For me, the Downfall movie lacks the clarity of meaning that Sophie has. I found it rather disturbingly ambiguous, to the extent that I saw it as propaganda for the wrong side. There is no such doubt with Sophie."

The Interrogation

MICHAEL ACUNA | Southern California United States | 07/30/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"
Sophie Scholl (a committed, intelligent, idealistic Julia Jentsch) is a young German woman dedicated to bringing down the Third Reich.

It's 1943, the Germans are losing untold numbers of their men in Stalingrad, the news has leaked into Germany about the Final Solution and the young and college educated are risking their lives and that of their families by distributing leaflets all over Europe discrediting the War and Hitler...which is considered a death penalty offense.

Sophie and her brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs) are caught and arrested and the bulk of the film deals with Sophie's interrogation by a government functionary, Robert Mohr (a sleazy, squirrelly Alexander Held).

For several days and until her brother Hans confesses, Sophie holds her own and even betters Mohr. Julia Jentsch is extremely effective in portraying Scholl's idealism and burning intelligence. Her Sophie is a leader, a firebrand: someone who accepts the consequences of her actions without remorse and without pointing fingers towards anyone but herself.

Too much of what Mohr spouts is pedantic, Nazi drivel whereas Sophie's responses are likewise pedantic, pie-in-the-sky and emotional. What makes their exchanges interesting is that they are based on official Gestapo records available only since German reunification. Despite all of this or maybe because of it, these interrogation scenes crackle with fire and truth: both Sophie and Mohr fully committed to their cause.

"Sophie Scholl: Die letzten Tage" along with the recent "Downfall" are more important as social statements rather than artistic ones. They are both shining examples of a country facing its past squarely in the face and recognizing and releasing its collective ghosts and demons: the first step towards redemption.

"

Beliefs and Bravery

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 12/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"SOPHIE SCHOOL - THE FINAL DAYS is one of those films made more powerful by the understated production values. The script, yes, the story itself, is so powerful that it doesn't need big battle scenes or full-fledged staged crowd scenes to make it work: the dialogue among the actors speaks volumes.

Written by Fred Breinersdorfer based on documents from life and directed with enormous sensitivity by Marc Rothemund the film takes place in the last days of the lives of members of the anti-Nazi resistance movement The White Rose in 1943. Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch), her brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs) and their friend Christoph (Florian Stetter) are organizers for creating leaflets warning the populace of Germany of the ills ahead should Hitler and his Hessians remain in power. They are caught, imprisoned and interrogated. Sophie's interrogator Robert Mohr (Gerald Alexander Held), though strong, does seem to understand Sophie's explanations for her denial of participation in the spreading of leaflets, but Sophie has the courage to speak out against the current government. Hans is likewise interrogated and when he confesses to the leaflet incident he is implicating both Sophie and Christoph and the three are brought before a vicious tribunal. Christoph pleads for his life and Sophie and Hans request that his life as a father be spared but the charges are made of iron and the three are convicted and immediately executed.

The fact that the story is true makes it all the more moving. Observing the inordinate amount of courage in standing firm for beliefs - especially in Sophie's case - is humbling for the viewer. How many of us, under similar circumstances would have that degree of conviction of ideals and bravery?

The acting by everyone involved is first rate, with Julia Jentsch and Gerald Alexander Held being especially fine. The pacing, scoring, lighting and direction of this film are keyed to the atmosphere of the times in 1943 Germany, creating a sense of claustrophobia in the visual and the emotional aspects of the film. It is a brilliant work and deserves a very wide audience. In German with English subtitles. Grady Harp, December 06

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Focuses on the positive of Sophie's lasts days

dicerotops | Northern VA, USA | 09/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike other movies during the Nazi reign, this movie does not focus on the bad of the Nazis but rather the good of Sophie Scholl. She is portrayed as a real person, and not some hyped up heroine. In the movie, as in life, she has faults and strengths. Her simplistic brilliance shines during the interrogation scenes.

It is important to remember that Sophie was a real person. Her and her brother were a bit wreckless when they went back into the Munich college at Sophie's urging. They made a mistake and they used their wits to try to protect one another.

I have done a considerable amount of studies on the White Rose. This movie stuck to the facts. Even the outlandish judge at the end was portrayed according to records.

If you want a historically accurate film from beginning to end, this is a wonderful pick."

Munich, 1943, Last Six Days of Sophie Scholl, 21 Years Old

Tsuyoshi | Kyoto, Japan | 09/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"`Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage' (`Sophie Scholl - The Final Days') follows the last six days of the life of Sophie Scholl, member of `The White Rose' small anti-Nazi organization that protested against Hitler through the non-violence method in the war-time Munich. Her life had been filmed in Germany twice before - `The White Rose' by Michael Verhoeven, and `The Five Last Days' by Percy Adlon both in 1982. Unfortunately I haven't seen them, but the fact proves that this anti-war organization during the WWII in Germany, some part of which still remain mystery, has been always a very fascinating topic in that country.

Now, using the unpublished materials that were unavailable then, German director Marc Rothemund made another film based on this important episode in the German history. This time he gives stress to the realistic description of the last six days of Sophie Scholl, a 21-year-old college student who was arrested with her brother during the political activities against the Nazi in 1943.

Actually Sophie was only posting and scattering the anti-Hitler fliers in college campus, but that was enough for the Nazi; at first, however, they were not sure. Sophie is just an ordinary student, and the Nazi interrogator Robert Mohr was not convinced.

The film spends considerable time in depicting the dialogues between Sophie Scholl and Robert Mohr, and the rising tension between two real-life characters, supported by historical material and strong acting, is one of the most impressive parts of the film. Consequently the film becomes a bit talky sometimes, but both Julia Jentsch (`The Edukators') and Gerald Alexander Held did a fantastic job as two realistic persons with souls, without making them too saintly or monstrous.

If you're looking for the facts about The White Rose itself, you may be disappointed. The behaviors of Sophie and Hans, her brother, before their arrest by the police look incredibly reckless, far from that of organized resistance. The film would not tell you much about what the group was really doing before they were caught because it is about the spiritual transformation of Sophie Scholl. I don't know anything about the historical accuracy of the film, but it is clear that the filmmakers took great care to present the most accurate portrait of Sophie Scholl (see the detailed procedures of the court, for example). Because of that, the film sometimes gets slower than it should be, but still the powerful acting from the actors are as fascinating as this historical event itself.

But the strongest, or I should say, the most shocking part of the film is waiting for you at the end of the film. One image still haunts my mind, which I can't tell you of course, but all I can say is, prepare for one sequence that is more unnerving and disturbing any suspense or horror films.

Like `Downfall' another gripping German film about the Nazi, `Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage' gives you a realistic image of a human during the war. And this is a heart-wrenching story about one real-life person that lived an extraordinary life."

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