Alone in Berlin (film)
Alone in Berlin | |
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Vincent Pérez | |
Written by |
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Based on | Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Christophe Beaucarne |
Edited by | François Gédigier |
Music by | Alexandre Desplat |
Production companies | |
Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 103 minutes |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Alone in Berlin is a 2016
Plot
In 1940, a working-class couple in
The couple starts writing postcards to urge people to stand against Hitler and the Nazis and protest against them by furtively placing the cards in public places - a capital crime.[3][4] Their first card reads: "Mother, Hitler Killed My Son. He Will Kill Your Son Too". At first, Otto wants to do it all by himself, warning Anna, "They hang women, too!" Other cards read "Stop the War machine; Hitler's shadow falls over Europe like the devil's shadow; Pass this card on -- Down with the Hitler Regime" (Minute ~40:00 of the movie). She, however, insists on taking part in this dangerous activity. While in the beginning of the film the couple's marriage seems to have dried up and they are unable to console each other for the loss of their son, their shared risk and commitment brings them closer. In effect, they fall in love with each other again.
Gestapo inspector Escherich is charged with finding the source of the postcards.[5] He is a professional police detective acting out of career pride rather than Nazi ideology. During three years of painstakingly gathering clues about the "Hobgoblin" (as he calls the mysterious writer of the postcards), Escherich develops an increasing respect for this elusive unknown opponent. Because of his lack of progress, Escherich is beaten up by the obviously impatient SS senior officer and forced to summarily execute a man whom he is certain has no connection with these subversive postcards.
After some postcards accidentally fall from Otto's pocket at work, he is exposed and arrested. He remains stoic about the certain death sentence awaiting him and tries in vain to take all the blame on himself and save Anna. After the couple have been executed, Escherich is alone in his office. He gathers up the couple's hundreds of postcards, scatters them from the open window of the police headquarters, and then shoots himself. The film ends with the image of the postcards swirling in the wind, falling down on the Berlin streets and being picked up by passersby.
Cast
- Emma Thompson as Anna Quangel[3]
- Brendan Gleeson as Otto Quangel[6]
- Daniel Brühl as Inspector Escherich[5]
- Mikael Persbrandt as Standartenführer Prall
- Monique Chaumette as Frau Rosenthal
- Joachim Bissmeieras Herr Fromm
- Lars Rudolph as Enno Kluge
- Louis Hofmann as Hans Quangel
- Godehard Giese as Colonel Krüger
- Jacob Matschenz as Dietrich Necker
- Katharina Schüttler as Claire Gehrich
Production
Marco Pacchioni and
On 14 May 2014, it was announced that Pérez would direct the film based on an adaptation he cowrote with Achim von Borries.[3] Emma Thompson, Mark Rylance, and Daniel Brühl were named for the principal roles.[3] It was produced by X-Filme's Stefan Arndt and Uwe Schott (German rights), Master Movies' Marco Pacchioni (French rights) and Filmwave's Christian Grass and Paul Trijbits, and James Schamus.[3] On 26 March 2015, Rylance was replaced by Brendan Gleeson.[6]
Other crew members included cinematographer
The director dedicated the film "in memory of Otto and Elise Hampel guillotined for having written and circulated cards against the Nazi regime between 1940 and 1943."
Filming
Principal photography on the film began on 27 March 2015 in Berlin.[6][5] It was also shot in Cologne and Görlitz.[5]
Reception
Alone in Berlin was first screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2016. Tara Brady of The Irish Times wrote:
"Despite a terrific triumvirate of performances from Gleeson, Thompson, and Brühl, and soft lensing from cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne, Alone in Berlin is hampered by stodgy pacing, budgetary constraints, and drab interiors. Against this, the film offers a fascinating and timely blueprint for political dissent, a methodology that connects with pamphleteering, graffiti, and memes."[9]
In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw wrote, "More than once, 'Alone in Berlin' reminded me of Fritz Lang's M."[4] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 57% based on reviews from 54 critics, with an average rating of 5.7/10.[10] The film received a score of 52 on the critical aggregator website Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11]
See also
- Everyone Dies Alone (1962 West German film; Jeder stirbt für sich allein)
- Jeder stirbt für sich allein (1970 East German miniseries)
References
- ^ Hartl, Sonja. "JEDER STIRBT FÜR SICH ALLEIN". Kino-Zeit. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ "Berlinale 2016: First Films for Competition and Berlinale Special". Berlinale. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Kemp, Stuart (14 May 2014). "Cannes: Emma Thompson, Daniel Bruhl Join 'Alone In Berlin'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ a b Bradshaw, Peter (29 June 2017). "'Alone in Berlin' review – couple wage a quiet war against Hitler". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Roxborough, Scott (26 March 2015). "'Alone in Berlin' Starring Emma Thompson, Brendan Gleeson Begins Shoot". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d Barraclough, Leo (26 March 2015). "Emma Thompson, Brendan Gleeson Movie 'Alone in Berlin' Starts to Shoot". variety.com. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ a b Alberge, Dalya (23 May 2010). "Hans Fallada's anti-Nazi classic becomes surprise UK bestseller". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ^ a b Kemp, Stuart (29 April 2014). "Cannes: Alison Thompson to Launch Sunray Films with 'Alone in Berlin'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ^ Brady, Tara (30 June 2017). "Review: 'Alone in Berlin': Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson offer a timely blueprint for dissent". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ "Alone in Berlin". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Alone In Berlin critic reviews". metacritic.com. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
External links
- Alone in Berlin at IMDb
- Alone in Berlin at Rotten Tomatoes