Labyrinth of Lies (2014)

Labyrinth of Lies is the English title of a German movie from 2014 that is based on a true story: the criminal investigation leading up to the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials that took place 1963-1965. The German title is Im Labyrinth des Schweigens. Here is some basic information about it:

** Produced by Uli Putz, Sabine Lamby and Jacob Claussen
** Directed by Giulio Ricciarelli
** Written by Elisabeth Bartel and Giulio Ricciarelli
** Run time: 122 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Alexander Fehling as Johann Radmann - prosecutor
** André Szymanski as Thomas Gnielka – journalist
** Friederike Becht as Marlene Wondrak – Johann’s girlfriend

** Gert Voss (1941-2014) as Fritz Bauer (1903-1968) – chief prosecutor
** Hartmut Volle as Alois Schultz – teacher
** Johannes Krisch as Simon Kirsch - artist

** Hansi Johmann as Schmittchen - secretary
** Johann von Bülow as staatsanwalt Haller
** Robert Hunger-Bühler as oberstaatsanwalt Friedberg

The movie begins in the West German town of Frankfurt am Main in 1958 and ends five years later, in 1963, when the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials are about to begin. This movie is not about the trials, but about the investigation leading up to them, i.e. the movie offers the background for these historical trials.

While the movie is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events from 1958 to 1963. Not everything happened as portrayed in the movie. The moviemakers have done whatever they felt was necessary to create a good movie.

The leading character Johan Radmann is not a real person. He is a composite of three young prosecutors:

** Joachim Kügler (1926-2012)
 

** Georg Friedrich Vogel (1926-2007)
 

** Gerhard Wiese (born 1928)

The latter of the three, Gerhard Wiese, was consulted while the movie was being made, and he attended the German premiere of the movie.

The fictional prosecutor Johann Radmann reports to Fritz Bauer who is a real person. Bauer knew about Auschwitz, but Radmann did not know anything about it before he began his investigation. In this movie we follow him as he investigates and slowly discovers the truth about what happened at Auschwitz during World War Two.

In 1958, the German public had little or no knowledge about Auschwitz. The Allied Powers had organized the Nuremberg Tribunal shortly after the war, but when it was over, many Germans tried to forget about Germany’s role in the war, in particular those who had been responsible for death and destruction.

Former members of the Nazi party lived and worked among the German people. They did not have to hide, because they had nothing to fear. The German title of the movie In the Labyrinth of Silence tries to make this point. The English title Labyrinth of Lies has a smart alliteration, but does not fit the movie very well. Because the problem in West Germany around 1960 was not lies, it was silence.

As stated above, the moviemakers have turned three young prosecutors into one. They have also added a love story for the fictional character: Johann meets Marlene and they fall in love. I assume this (fictional) love story is included in order to make some variation, to make sure that the movie is not only about the criminal investigation.

I am not sure this was a good idea. And I can see many reviewers feel the same way. They are not happy about this side of the movie. They feel it is a distraction, which does raise the quality of the movie; if anything, it lowers the quality of the movie.

In the movie Radmann tries to locate Dr. Josef Mengele, who worked at Auschwitz. He discovers that Mengele had relocated to Latin America and that he sometimes went back to Germany to visit his family in Günzburg in the south of Germany. However, Radmann does not manage to catch Mengele while he is in Germany.

It is true that Mengele had escaped to Latin America after the war. It is equally true that he was able to visit West Germany several times without being apprehended by the West German authorities. However, the Israeli secret service Mossad was after him, so he had to be more careful. After a few years, Mossad gave up the hunt for Mengele. The former SS officer died in Brazil in 1979.

When the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials began in 1963, 22 former SS officers were charged with murder. When the trials ended in 1965, three were acquitted. Six were sentenced to life in prison, while 13 received sentences from 3 to 14 years.

The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials were a turning point in German history. It was the first time a government had prosecuted its own soldiers for actions committed during a war. This movie tries to show us how the process began, how and why the word “Auschwitz” became a well-known name, a symbol of oppression and horrible crimes. As such it is relatively but not completely successful.

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 73 per cent; on Rotten Tomatoes it has a rating of 81 per cent; and on Metacritic it has a rating of 62 per cent. The Roger Ebert website gives it 2.5 out of 4 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 63 per cent.

I understand the positive ratings. I also understand why the average ratings do not go all the way to the top: there are flaws here and there. The leading character is fictional and he has a fictional love story which does not improve the overall quality of the movie.

The ratings of 62 and 63 per cent correspond to three stars on Amazon. If you ask me, these ratings are too harsh. The ratings of 73 and 81 per cent correspond to four stars on Amazon. These ratings seem more appropriate to me. This is my verdict: this movie deserves a rating of four stars.

PS # 1. A word of warning: this is a German movie. The German soundtrack is covered with English subtitles. If you do not like to read subtitles, you should stay away from this product. But if you can accept subtitles, or if you can understand German, this movie might be something for you.

PS # 2. The following articles are available online:

** Tom Tugend, review of Labyrinth of Lies, JTA, 1 October 2015

** Peter Bert, “Labyrinth of Lies and the Auschwitz Trials,” posted on his blog on 27 January 2015

PS # 3. For more information about Josef Mengele, see this book: Mengele: The Complete Story by Gerald Posner and John Ware (1986, 2000).

*****

Tannbach: The Fate of a Village (2015)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tannbach: The Fate of a Village is the English title of a German mini-series which premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2015. The German title is Tannbach: Schicksal eines Dorfes. The story takes place in Tannbach - a fictional village in Germany, which is located on the border of the US and the Soviets zones - and the time frame is 1945-1952. Here is some basic information about it:

** Directed by Alexander Dierbach
** Written by Gabriela Sperl, Gabriela Zerhau, Martin Pristl, Josephin Thayenthal, and Robert Thayenthal

** Musical score by Fabian Roemer

** Released on DVD in 2015

There are three episodes:

# 1. “The morning after the war” – 90 minutes
 

# 2. “Expropriation” – 97 minutes
 

# 3. “My country, your country” – 105 minutes

When World War Two comes to an end in Europe in April and May 1945, Germany is divided into four zones, three western zones, and one Soviet zone. At first, Tannbach is in the US zone, and the village is occupied by US forces, but soon it is discovered that Tannbach is in fact in the Soviet zone, so the US forces move out and Soviet forces move in.

After a while, a US officer points out that the line between the US and the Soviet zones follows the river, which runs through the middle of the village, and this means that the western part of the village ends up in the US zone, while the eastern part of the village ends up in the Soviet zone.

In 1949, when the three western zones are turned into West Germany and the Soviet zone is turned into East Germany, the western part of the village is in West Germany, while the eastern part of the village is in East Germany.

In Tannbach, the transition from war to peace is more difficult and more confusing than in other parts of Germany, because the dividing line runs right through the middle of the village.

Families and friends are torn apart as new political systems are put into place. Some people try to hide their past, if they had been members of the Nazi party or perhaps members of the SS. Some people try to accept the new situation and work closely with the new authorities (whoever they are), while others refuse to give in.

The cast includes the following:

** Henriette Confurius as Anna von Striesow
** Heiner Lauterbach as Georg von Striesow
 

** Jonas Nay as Friedrich Erler
** Ludwig Trepte as Lothar Erler
** Nadja Uhl as Liesbeth Erler

** Martina Gedeck as Hilde Vockler
 

** Alexander Held as Franz Schober
** Florian Bruckner as Heinrich Schober
 

** Ronald Zehrfeld as Konrad Werner
** Maria-Victoria Dragus as Theresa Prantl

Tannbach: The fate of a Village is not a documentary film, it is a historical movie, i.e. a fictional drama that is placed in a historical context. The story of the fictional village is based on the story of a real village, Mödlareuth, which was divided between the US and the Soviet zones. Tannbach is the name of the river that runs through it. The moviemakers took the name of the river and used it for the fictional village.

During the Cold War, Mödlareuth became known as Little Berlin, because it was divided into two zones, just like Berlin was divided into East and West Berlin.

Tannbach got some good reviews. On IMDb it has a rating of 71 per cent, which corresponds to three and a half stars on Amazon. I can understand the positive reviews. The script is well-written and the actors play their roles quite well.

I can also understand why the average rating does not go all the way to five stars, because this drama has a flaw: the characters are more types than real people and what they do is often predictable.

Soviet soldiers are barbarians: when two Soviet soldiers enter a kitchen where a German family is having dinner, we know they are going to steal some of the food that is on the table (and walk away laughing); when a small group of Soviet soldiers enters a house and finds a picture of Hitler, we know something bad is going to happen, and it does: they murder the whole family (except a new born baby). 

 

By contrast, US soldiers are good. They are friendly and gentle. They do not shout, like the Russians, they talk.

We have a "good" Nazi and a "bad" Nazi; we have a "good" Communist and a "bad" Communist. When we have types such as these there are not many surprises. Even though the drama is good and quite captivating, it cannot be described as excellent. Therefore I think the rating on IMDb is quite appropriate. I am ready to round up the three and a half stars to four stars.

If you are interested in the history of the modern world - in particular the beginning of the Cold war between East and West - this drama is definitely something for you.

PS # 1. A word of warning: when I watched this mini-series, the German soundtrack was covered by English subtitles. I have been told there are no subtitles on the DVD. This is a shame. If you do not understand German, this product is not for you. If you can find the version with subtitles or if you understand German, this product may be something for you.

PS # 2. Tannbach: Die Dokumentation is a German documentary film in which the series is compared with historical reality. In this film (which is available online) we learn about the model for Tannbach: the village of Mödlareuth. Run time: 43 minutes.

PS # 3. The following German review is available online: Oliver Armknecht, review of Tannbach, Filmrezensionen.de, posted on 17 January 2015.

 

PS # 4. Tannbach II is a miniseries which premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2018. The story of the fictional village continues with three new episodes. The time frame is 1960-1968.

*****

 

 

 

The Adlon: A Family Saga (2013)

The Adlon: A Family Saga is the English title of a German mini-series that is based on a true story: the story of the family that founded and ran the Adlon Hotel in Berlin for almost a century (1904-1997). The German title is Das Adlon: Eine Familiensaga. It was shown on German television (ZDF) and released on DVD in 2013. Here is some basic information about it:

** Executive producer: Oliver Berben

** Directed by Uli Edel

** Written by Uli Edel and Rodica Döhnert

** Number of episodes: 3 – each episode runs for ca. 1 hour and 33 minutes

** Total running time: ca. four hours and 40 minutes

It was a huge production with a large number of actors. The man in charge of the project was Oliver Berben, the son of Iris Berben, who is one of the most famous German actors.

The time frame is almost a century, from 1904 to 1997. The hotel was founded in 1904 and officially opened in 1907. The purpose was to be the best hotel in Germany and one of the best hotels in the world. For a while it really was. In 1997 it re-opened with a double name: Das Adlon Kempinski Hotel. Today it is still the Adlon Hotel, but now it is a member of the Kempinski chain.

In 1945, when World War II ended, Germany was divided into four zones, three western and one for the USSR. The three western zones later became West Germany, while the Soviet zone later became East Germany.

Berlin, the old capital, was also divided into four zones, three western and one for the USSR. The three western zones became West Berlin, while the Soviet zone became East Berlin, the capital of East Germany.

Das Adlon was (and still is) located next to the famous gate, Brandenburger Tor. When the lines were drawn, the hotel ended up in East Berlin. It was very close to the line between east and west, but it was in the east.

During the time of East Germany, Das Adlon was only a shadow of its former self, until it was finally closed down. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the unification of the two German states in 1990, the old building was demolished and a new building was constructed on the same spot. The new hotel opened for business in 1997.

There are three episodes in the mini-series. Here is a brief overview:

# 1. 1904-1918

# 2. 1918-1933

# 3. 1933-1997

While the mini-series is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a combination of fact and fiction. In the mini-series we follow the lives of two families: the Adlon family and the Schadt family. The former is real, while the latter is fictional. The Schadt family was invented for dramatic purposes. In the mini-series the lives of the two families and the life of the hotel are closely connected with each other.

1904 is not only the year in which the hotel is founded, it is also the year in which (the fictional character) Sonja Schadt is born. She lives and works at the hotel for many years until she leaves Germany and settles in the US. In 1997, when the hotel re-opens, she returns to the old place. While waiting for her family to arrive, she tells the story of her life and the story of the hotel to one of the young porters. At that time she is 93 years old; she is almost as old as the century.

A word of warning: this is a German production, so the soundtrack is in German, and there are no English subtitles. If you do not understand German, this product is not for you.

However, if you do understand German, and if you are interested in the history of the modern world, then this mini-series could be something for you. As for the language, I will say this: the German that is spoken here is clear and easy to understand. There are no strange dialects and no strange accents.

In a way, this mini-series is not only the history of a hotel, it is the history of a country, the history of Germany in the 20th century, seen from the perspective of a five-star hotel in the capital. In this story, we get to see some of the best and some of the worst aspects of German history. The script is well-written and the actors play their roles very well.

On IMDb, Das Adlon has a rating of 74 per cent, which corresponds to almost four stars on Amazon. I understand the positive reviews. I cannot understand the negative reviews. If you ask me, 74 per cent is not enough. This mini-series is an excellent drama. And therefore I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

*****