Frieda

One of the bravest, controversial Post war films around. A very uncomfortable and sensitive subject, treated delicately and with style. This must have been very hard viewing in 1947when it was released, shining a bright light on our humanity and making us consider our own prejudices and potentially shameful capabilities.

Mai Zetterling, David Farrar, Flora Robson, and Glynis Johns star in Frieda from 1947.

Farrar is a pilot who brings his fiancé, a German woman, home to England, after she helps him escape.

The war is still going on, and she is not welcome. Farrah's sister (Robson) is running for office. When asked about the presence of Frieda, she says that just by virtue of Frieda being German, she bears the same sins as the Nazis.

Meanwhile, Robson encourages her brother's widow (Johns) to try to get Farrar away from Frieda.

Once the war ends, things become easier for Frieda, and she is accepted by the community.

One day her brother (Albert Levein) appears. He gives her a necklace with a swastika on it.

Good story of facing prejudice and coming to terms, for Frieda, of the horrible events that took place in her country.

Very good performances as some harsh realizations come to light for all involved.

Phew, that was a tough watch.. Not the production, Frieda is well made, but makes us all face up to our own prejudice and fear. I have no idea how this must have felt to the audience in 1947, I am sure many struggled to sympathise with Frieda, the enemy.

Today hatred is still rife, we live in a world that is still drawing dividing lines, for what.. where has it got us. Frieda tries to make us examine irrational fears and blind hatred. The film pushes us to see people as individuals.

I often look back at old cinema as a little simple, corny even, it is not often I sit in silence at the end and contemplate what I have seen, Frieda made me do this.

Should you watch this, yes if you like cinema that takes you somewhere and you like to empathise with tough subject matter. It is not an arty film and is extremely watchable.. But if you need whizzbangs and CGI this might not be the film for you.

All I can say to finish, I am glad I finally sat down to watch Frieda.

This film was made in 1947 when this country was just coming to terms with the fact that it would have to live with the new Germany.The film does not take into account the fact that there were already thousands of German refugees in this country who had fled Nazi persecution.For example in the film industry there were actors such as Conrad Veidt and technicians such as Mutz Greenbaum.Therefore what only seems to have been considered by this film are bad Germans,as played by Albert Levien and the passive German as played by Swede,Mai Zetterling.So what is ignored are the millions of Germans who did oppose Hitler,the social democrats and communists who were thrown in concentration camps.I felt that Levien's revelation as a nasty Nazi was rather over dramatic and rather spoiled the balance of the film.I also wonder what audiences of the time would have made of the newsreel of Belsen concentration camp shown when the couple are in the cinema.very thought provoking.

1947 was not an easy year. In fact, the British and the world was still recovering from World War II. This film probably raised a lot of eyebrows and concern. Germany was still the enemy and Frieda played beautifully by Swedish newcomer, Mai Zetterling, should have been honored with nominations for her performance. Frieda is not well liked because she is German so you're not going to trust a German girl in the first place. Anyway, I imagine how it was first released to the British public after a brutal war and the rebuilding of the damage done by the blitz. Anyway, I can imagine audience members not being welcoming to Frieda but she is somebody we grow to understand. It's not her fault that's she's German anymore that I'm an American. She grows on you because she is somebody we can like but I think that's part of the problem. We see her only flaw as being German and not much else. Anyway, Mai Zetterling performs well and should have been honored with a nomination or two for being the star of the film.