The Tunnel (2001 film)
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Der Tunnel | |
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Thomas Wanker | |
Release date |
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Running time | 157 min. |
Country | Germany |
Language | German |
Der Tunnel is a made-for-television German film released in 2001 and loosely based on true events in Berlin following the closing of the East German border in August 1961 and the subsequent construction of the Berlin Wall.[1] Roland Suso Richter directed the film.[1] The theatrical release is 20 minutes shorter than the original television version. The subtitled English version was released in 2005.
Plot
The central character of the film is Harry Melchior, based on the real tunneler,
Committed to getting their loved ones out of the GDR but knowing that ground routes are heavily guarded, Harry and Matthis have the idea of going underground. Matthis is an engineer by training. They link up with a small circle of others, initially Vittorio 'Vic' Constanza and Fred von Klausnitz. They find an unused factory building close to the Wall that has ample underground space. They are eventually joined by Fritzi Scholz, whose fiancé, Heiner, is also trapped in the east.
The work is slow, hard and sometimes dangerous, and the group reluctantly agrees to take in several more helpers. Over a span of months, the tunnel takes shape following Matthis' design, with the necessary shoring, lights and even a railbed. Discovering a film crew from NBC in the city one day, the leaders convince the network to fund their efforts in exchange for exclusive footage of the digging and eventual escape.
In the meantime, communication with the would-be rescuees in the east is necessary but hazardous. Vic, an American citizen, can pass through the border freely. He is in contact with Lotte and with Carola. The latter, however, has been blackmailed by the
Overseeing the efforts to thwart tunnelers and other efforts at "illegal emigration" is Colonel Kröger.
Finally the pieces are all in place for the planned escape of about 30 people. Word is spread by surreptitious means, though the Stasi are watching closely. They go to the home of Fred's widowed mother to take her into custody, but she takes her own life first.
Carola has admitted to Lotte that she has been an informant but swears she can now be trusted. In a ruse that means leaving her baby with Lotte's family, she leads her Stasi tail to a remote location far from the actual escape site. In the meantime, Fritzi has crossed the border with a fake passport to guide the escapees through the tunnel. After the true location of the escape is discovered, Harry enters East Berlin through the tunnel and, surprising a border guard, takes his uniform, helmet and gun, and blends in with the troops swarming the area in order to send them in wrong directions. The would-be escapees gather in a café across from the building where the tunnel begins, and Fritzi gradually escorts them over. Tense moments ensue as Colonel Kröger closes in, and pursues the escapees through the tunnel. A sign has been erected in the tunnel marking the boundary of the French sector, and the pursuing guards have the political sense to know they cannot go further.
Cast
- Heino Ferch - Harry Melchior
- Nicolette Krebitz - Friederike 'Fritzi' Scholz
- Sebastian Koch - Matthis Hiller
- Alexandra Lara- Lotte Lohmann
- Mehmet Kurtuluş - Vittorio Costanza
- Heinrich Schmieder - Theo Lohmann
- Dorothea Moritz - Hermine
- Claudia Michelsen - Carola Langensiep
- Felix Eitner - Fred von Klausnitz
- Uwe Kockisch - Oberst Krüger
- Karin Baal - Marianne von Klausnitz
- Wolf-Dietrich Sprenger - Fotograf Grüner
- Florian Panzner - Heiner
Awards
- Winner of the 2001 Bavarian TV Award (Heino Ferch and Roland Suso Richter)
- Winner of the 2001 German Television Award (best TV film/mini-series)
- Heino Ferch was awarded the Golden Camera in 2002
References
- ^ a b Kern, Laura (April 29, 2005). "In a Divided Berlin, Digging Underground for Freedom". The New York Times.
External links
- The Tunnel at IMDb