Berlin 1940. Das Ehepaar Otto und Anna Quangel erhält die Nachricht, dass ihr einziger Sohn auf dem Schlachtfeld sein Leben verloren hat, und beschließt, auf eigene Art Widerstand gegen das ... Alles lesenBerlin 1940. Das Ehepaar Otto und Anna Quangel erhält die Nachricht, dass ihr einziger Sohn auf dem Schlachtfeld sein Leben verloren hat, und beschließt, auf eigene Art Widerstand gegen das Naziregime zu leisten. Schon bald jagt die Gestapo überall nach "der Bedrohung".Berlin 1940. Das Ehepaar Otto und Anna Quangel erhält die Nachricht, dass ihr einziger Sohn auf dem Schlachtfeld sein Leben verloren hat, und beschließt, auf eigene Art Widerstand gegen das Naziregime zu leisten. Schon bald jagt die Gestapo überall nach "der Bedrohung".
- Auszeichnungen
- 3 Nominierungen insgesamt
- Fromm
- (as Joachim Bissmeier)
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"Alone in Berlin" shows two seemingly insignificant individuals who risk their lives because they believe that they could change the society. The acting is very good, Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson are really wonderful in bringing their characters alive. The brief court room scene is very moving. The ending is very good, as it is an unexpectedly fulfilling ending. I did not see that change coming. I enjoyed watching it.
Otto (Brendan Gleeson) and Elise (Emma Thompson) play a mostly quiet, working class couple who pay the ultimate price for a cause in which they don't believe. Their protest takes the form of a clandestine 2 person operation. They systematically distribute postcards with anti-Hitler messages nearly 300 of the cards between 1940 and 1942. It's a drip campaign that takes the form of non-violent political resistance, and certainly rankles those of the Third Reich.
Daniel Bruhl plays Escherich, the Nazi officer put in charge of the investigation (labeled Operation: Hobgoblin). He is charged with finding the source of the cards and punishing those responsible. As the hunt drags on, Escherich is presented as a Nazi with a conscience, and bears the brunt of his superior's frustration, while living in as much fear as those he is chasing.
The film has a somber tone, and somehow never generates the tension or dread that this couple must have been dealing with on a daily basis for so long. In fact, Alexandre Desplat's score seems to fit a movie much more intense than what we are watching on screen. Mr. Gleeson delivers his usual grounded and believable performance despite a script that could have used a bit more potency. The film does deliver the always powerful message of having no regrets when you are standing up for what's right.
If Brendan Gleeson is the heart of the picture, Emma Thompson is its soul. She is fearful at first but then embraces Otto's dangerous idea and in the process finds renewed love for her husband. She is fiercely loyal and discovers courage she thought she didn't have. She is heartbreaking in her anguish over the loss of her son, and she and Gleeson elevate a pedestrian story to a must-see.
I wonder if at some point in production someone, in the old Hollywood tradition, should have yelled "Get me rewrite!", as the screenplay could have used a little 'punching up'. The story lacks some tension and suspense and relies on the two principals for success. And do they deliver. "Alone in Berlin" will be lost in the shuffle next year at Oscar time, which is a loss and a shame as both are deserving of an AA nom.
After losing their only son in the French campaign, Berliners Otto (Brendan Gleeson,"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") and Anna (Emma Thompson, "Saving Mr Banks") turn against the regime and in repeated acts of rebellion Otto laboriously hand writes subversive postcards to leave in office blocks around Berlin.
Out to catch him is local police investigator Escherich (Daniel Brühl) but in an age before CCTV that's no easy task and with increasing SS pressure the stakes for Escherich steadily increase. For Otto and Anna, the stress is there but both are resigned to their fate: with their son stolen from them for an unjust cause they are an island of indifference in an unholy land. Both are 'alone in Berlin?
After 70 years it still chills the blood to see German locations decked out in Nazi regalia, but one of the joys of this film is this rendering of life in wartime Berlin: starting with jubilation at German progress prior to D-Day and turning to despair and genuine danger as the tide turns towards 1945. In a pretty bleak film there are touches of black comedy now and then: Otto's carpentry company is being encouraged "by the Fuhrer" to double and triple their output of coffins.
More joy comes from the star turns of Gleeson and Thompson, both of who deliver on their emotionally challenging roles. Gleeson in particular makes a very believable German with a sour demeanour and a steely determination. But the star acting turn for me goes to the wonderful Daniel Brühl ("Rush") as the tormented police detective, bullied into an ethical corner by the SS. The finale of the film – whilst not seeming quite believable – makes for a nicely unexpected twist.
Based on a novel by Hans Fallada, the lead writing credits for the piece are shared between Achim von Borries and the director Vincent Perez – in a rare directorial outing for the Swiss actor. The script exudes a melancholic gloom and at times expresses beautifully both the grief and love shared by this older couple. But some of the dialogue needs more work and we don't see enough of Thompson in the early part of the film where her motivations should be being developed. This rather comes down to a lack of focus by the director. While the primary story of the card distribution is slight, it is compelling and a detour into a sub-story about an old Jewish lodger living upstairs is unnecessary and detracts from the overall story arc. I would have far preferred if the running time had been a tight 90 minutes just focused on Otto's mission. One final comment on the script: did I mishear that Anna claimed to have a 6 year old child during an air raid scene? I know Emma Thompson looks great for her age, but .
I can't finish this without commending the beautiful piano score of Alexandre Desplat. From the first note I knew it was him – he has such a characteristic style – and his clever use of the score complements the film exquisitely. "Small" films like this tend to rather disappear into the woodwork for Oscar consideration, but here's a soundtrack that I think should be considered: (but what do I know when "Nocturnal Animals" wasn't even nominated in one of the Oscar crimes of the century!).
In summary, I found this a thoughtful and thought-provoking film, that – despite some of the mean reviews I've seen – I thought was well crafted and with excellent production design by Jean-Vincent Puzos ("Amour"). It will be particularly appreciated by older audiences looking for an untold story from the war, and by all lovers of fine acting performances by the three leads.
(For the full graphical review please visit http://bob-the-movie-man.com. Thanks!).
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- WissenswertesBased on the novel "Jeder stirbt für sich allein" (Every Man Dies Alone) by Hans Fallada. The novel was allegedly based on Gestapo files to which Fallada was given access.
- PatzerEmma Thompson wears her wedding ring on her left hand. Germans, both men and women, wear them on their right hands. The German actor who plays Judge Fromm correctly wears his wedding ring on this right hand.
- Zitate
Otto Quangel: What more can a man donate than his child?
- VerbindungenVersion of Jeder stirbt für sich allein (1962)
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Box Office
- Bruttoertrag in den USA und Kanada
- 33.125 $
- Eröffnungswochenende in den USA und in Kanada
- 8.869 $
- 15. Jan. 2017
- Weltweiter Bruttoertrag
- 1.205.598 $
- Laufzeit
- 1 Std. 43 Min.(103 min)
- Farbe
- Seitenverhältnis
- 2.35 : 1