Berlin '36

We live in an unfair world, and we know it. In fact, we are already so sanitised by this that nothing much surprises us anymore. Not people who pretend to be nice to you while harbouring thoughts of how to make use of you to their advantage. Not people who put up a front to appear professional while conniving on how to take charge of the situation. No, not even the glory of sportsmanship inspires us anymore. Which is why we are not particularly taken aback that something this unthinkable happened in history – that sportsmanship was manipulated by the state to serve certain political agenda. And mind you, this happened some 74 years ago.

Such is the darkness behind the glory of the Olympic spirit.

The year is 1936, and the great and mighty Americans are putting pressure on the Germans because of their refusal to allow Jews on their Olympic team. They will boycott the Olympic Games if the Nazis do not lift that ban, especially in the case of high jumper Gretel Bergmann. The Nazis eventually allowed the poor girl (who migrated to Britain and became a champion there) to come home, but sneakily sent a rival Marie Ketteler to upset the situation. A friendship between the two athletes and before anyone knows it, a tension that could upset a nation's glory is formed.

Karoline Herfurth plays the Jewish athlete Bergmann (you can tell when she doesn't shout "Hail Hitler" like the rest of the characters) with conviction, and the indomitable spirit shines from her commendable performance. Looking comfortable in both sports and civilian outfits, Herfurth exudes a certain class and charm that we have not seen on the big screen for a while. Meanwhile, Sebastian Urzendowsky plays her teammate Ketteler who is, well, no point trying to hide here – a man. He has the looks and built of a fine young man, but somehow the filmmakers managed to portray a "woman" who is torn between the truth and falsehood. Maybe it's "her" curly hair, maybe it's "her" somewhat sultry look, or maybe it's just "her" demeanour as a "lady", but we managed to continue watching all 107 minutes of the movie thinking that "she" is one of the girls.

What seems to be a predictable storyline turns out to be a multifaceted display of human emotions (thanks to the all rounded and competent performances of the cast), where the most basic human feelings of pride, honour, humility and respect are exhibited through the characters' objectives and motives. There is always a looming feeling of dread as the film proceeds, as you fear something ominous for our heroine who deserves so much more than being chucked aside due to political reasons.

But history has already inked its place in time, and what already took place cannot be reversed. Some may call it a lesson of survival, some may call it a reminder of what cultural and historical conflicts can bring about, while some others may call it a tale of human instincts. So when the 96 year old Gretel Bergmann appears at the end of the film for an interview on the rather unfortunate incident that happened 74 years ago, you may just forget the unfairness of the world dishes to us, and feel the real human emotions that are genuine and heartening.

With Singapore hosting our first Olympics event, albeit the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, perhaps it is apt for us to reflect upon the importance of the values and spirit promoted by the Games toward the notion of Swifter, Higher, Stronger, because not always were the Games free from influence other than sports excellence and the triumph of human determination and to see how perseverance and training paid off.

Based on a true story and set in 1936 Berlin, where Germany is on the cusp of holding their first Olympic Games in the summer, Berlin 36 tells of how politics managed to get embroiled into sports, no thanks to Adolf Hitler sweeping into power some three years before, and taking the Games as a platform to further his party's propaganda, extending his prejudice and discrimination toward the Jews in not allowing them to compete under the German flag. This of course does not bode well for the United States, and to appease them in order to stave off a potential boycott by the US and her allies, the Germans had to pass off a show to rescind their decision for the Jews exclusion. This means that the world's best high jumper of the time, the German Jew Gretel Bergmann (Karoline Herfurth) had to be "persuaded" to return to the Fatherland for representation and competition.

This drama directed by Kasper Heidelbach not only tackles the issue of the kind of extreme discrimination and belief in the superiority of the Aryan race, but poses a more thought- provoking examination at the macro level issues as faced by Gretel in tackling and addressing prejudices from all angles, being the lone athlete in a training village, treated like an outcast by fellow citizens. She finds it near impossible to show love and pride in being able to represent her country that doesn't love her back, what more to earn honours for it? Like any authoritarian regime, they function on the basis of threats not only to self but family, and is able to shape outcomes as desired through silence, and misdirection.

And the worst was of course in hand-picking Marie Ketteler (Sebastian Urzendowsky) to become Gretel's chief rival both in training and the eventual competition, not that there was any intent anyway to allow Gretel to make it all the way to the Olympics proper. Marie is seemingly able to challenge Gretel one on one, which is quite expected should you read the synopsis or know the background of Marie's deep, dark secret. Like Gretel, Marie was also forced to be in the limelight to do as told, and deviations to the established plan was going to be frowned upon severely. What once began as a cold rivalry soon paves the way toward firm friendship, as both Gretel and Marie find themselves under the same circumstances of being played as puppets, and both harbour hopes of somehow being able to break away from the bonds that shackle them.

It is precisely the chemistry between the cast, especially the leads, that pull this film off, in providing an engaging and engrossing premise for their cooperation/competition. Production values for this historical story is kept high, and also provided room to boast some fantastically designed sets and effects used to recreate 1930s Germany, as well as the impressively recreated Stadium used for the Games featuring huge Zeppelins flying overhead. These money shots at the finale will put you smack in the middle of the propaganda festivities where important decisions will be made by the leading two athletes, and one can imagine just how the actual mood and feel would be like on the streets and at the venue.

I have a penchant for films about sports from the yesteryears, because when documented and portrayed accurately, allow the modern audience a glimpse into how the sport of today have evolved from time past. The high jump here is slightly different from the techniques and styles employed now, so that should pique your interest enough as one of the points to watch this film. There may be some quarters grumbling about how much the YOG budget is costing us, but let's not mix politics with this platform for our youths to have a go and competing with their peers representing the best from countries around the world.

If this had not been based on true events it would be hard to pass this off as a feasible storyline. But, in the freak show that was Nazi Germany, anything is (and was) tragically possible.

One should not forget that this was just a sporting event - and the voracity of 'The Games' has always been in question - then and since. But the effect, on all the characters of this film, of the manipulation and corruption of the event as a political propaganda exercise was startling.

The mood and locations of Berlin 36 were impressive, as were the cinematic effects. The cast were excellent, Herfurth gritty and determined, and a particularly difficult role for the actor playing Marie.

One could argue that the male pretending to be female was stretching credibility and was obviously a fraud, but then I remember a lot of the East German and Soviet 'female' athletes of the 70s looking decidedly masculine...how they passed muster I shall never know. Another example of how nation states can pervert the Olympics.

The atmosphere begins originally light (as you would expect with a gathering of female teenage athletes), but still with the sinister undercurrent of emerging anti-semitism becoming more blatant and personal with plenty of dark clouds gathering on the horizon.

The story tells itself. It portrays other individuals' guilt and culpability but in a not overtly judgemental way. The facts are laid out and the conclusions inescapable. Good storytelling, well directed and entertaining.

I would recommend this film not just as a welcome reminder, should one be needed, of what a supposedly civilised nation is capable of but also as a fascinating account of what effect moral bankruptcy can have throughout the whole of society and on the individuals concerned for the remainder of their lives (should they be lucky enough to survive, of course).

Berlin 36 is an excellent film about the life of Gretel Bergmann some days before and during the famous Olympic Games in Berlin 1936 and about the relations between sports and politics in Germany. Karoline Herfurth (Gretel Bergmann) and Sebastian Urzendowski (Marie Ketteler) are very good actors.The photography is excellent. Therefore Berlin 36 is an excellent film.

The film Berlin 36 is a German production from 2009. I was unaware of its existence as well as of the facts it reveals, associated with the 1936 Summer Olympics (Olympische Sommerspiele 1936), also identified as XI Olympiad. The opening ceremony of the games featured a short speech by Adolf Hitler. The games took place between 1-16 August in Berlin and had the participation of 3,963 athletes. The film focuses on exposing the creation, by the organizers of the event, of obstacles, manipulations and lies, aiming to prevent the German athlete, Gretel Bergmann, from being summoned to represent Germany in the high jump modality, because she was Jewish.