So weit die Füße tragen

It's highly rewarding seeing recent films from the German perspective of events, during WW2. This one concerns the hundreds of thousand of captive German soldiers (at the end and after the war), that were shipped to the Russian Gulags and never seen again. This is the true story of just one individual, who managed to escape and then walk across the whole of the country, to the Iranian border (which took him around three years). He was not only chased by an obsessive camp commander but had to endure, walking through Siberia in temperatures dropping to -40 degrees. You could never have made it up (surely he would have perished) and if this real event had been either an American or a British soldier, he would have indeed been World famous and depicted on stamps. It remains one of the finest testaments of human endeavour and the film does him a rightly so heroic justice. Also to the Jewish man who helped him, with just a sheer kindness.

A revolution took place and the german media never mentioned it: Except from some ignorant right wingers the general media was not willing to comment on this first major production on the topic of german prisoners of war. The original version from the fifties and the book are interesting - this movie is watchable for a big public. I appreciate the courage of the moviemakers to touch this forbidden legacy of germany. Great, heartbreaking cinema, that leaves you in tears at the end - as far as I am concerned.

I saw this film as part of Boston's Museum of Fine Arts film series. It is an extremely well-acted and well-produced adventure, based on the true story of a German POW's incredible journey through the dauntingly wide expanses and multi-ethnic terrain of the former Soviet Union in the late '40s and early '50s. It is beautifully shot on location, outdoor scenes of the rugged Russian landscape being a principle attraction. It is also quite well-acted by Bettlemen, who evokes both sympathy with and admiration for his character, and the rest of the cast. The principle actor spoke for about an hour afterwards. As he admits, the film does not go into detail about why the prisoners were there--no doubt some of them deserved punishment. However, many scenes also concentrate on the main character's wife and children back in Germany. Bettlemen, whose grandfathers both died in Russian POW camps after WWII, said he did the film as much to illustrate their family's plights as that of the prisoners.

The film (and the book) also illustrate that Samaritanism is not dead, and was not, even in Russia at this time. Forrell was, after all, a German soldier, but he would have been unable to cross Siberia without help from people of many diverse people. As Bettlemen related, "People will help a creature driven into the dust, even if it is their worst enemy."

A german guy arrested and take him to jail which has hard mining work.then he escape from that place to his native..great journey of him throughout film.. I lik this story and screenplay but i am not impressed in photography.. Must watch movie..!

This film is a good example of how new German cinema could be like. Though shot with a minimum of budget, the authentic atmosphere and the great landscapes, altogether with Bernhard Bettermann's very convincing acting made me enjoy this powerful adventure. The great score by Edward Artemyev, comparable to those great works of Maurice Jarre, added to the suspenseful and emotionally touching attitude. The often laconic dialogue and the very "American" (too emotional for many Germans - Americans will like it!) ending did not damage the pleasing overall impression I had watching it. In addition, "So weit die Füsse tragen" (As far as my feet will carry me) comes up with a topic that is - at least in Germany - seldomly discussed: German POW in Russian gulags after WW2. This is not a war movie! It's a single man's breathtaking adventure, returning to his family at all costs. Clemens Forell's three year walk through Siberia is a true story, which makes the film even more touching.

A strong 8 out of 10, because of the effort the filmmakers put into it.