Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage (2005)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Marc Rothemund

Writer:

Fred Breinersdorfer (writer)

Release Date:

24 February 2005 (Germany)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

In 1943, one young woman stood up to the Nazis, her courage made her a legend, this is her story . . .

Plot:

A dramatization of the final days of Sophie Scholl, one of the most famous members of the German World War II anti-Nazi resistance movement, The White Rose.

Plot Keywords:

Resistance | White Rose | Gestapo | Heroine | University

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 16 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Julia Jentsch	...	Sophie Magdalena Scholl
Gerald Alexander Held	...	Robert Mohr (as Alexander Held)
Fabian Hinrichs	...	Hans Scholl
Johanna Gastdorf	...	Else Gebel
André Hennicke	...	Richter Dr. Roland Freisler
Florian Stetter	...	Christoph Probst
Maximilian Brückner	...	Willi Graf
Johannes Suhm	...	Alexander Schmorell
Lilli Jung	...	Gisela Schertling
Klaus Händl	...	Lohner
Petra Kelling	...	Magdalena Scholl
Jörg Hube	...	Robert Scholl
Franz Staber	...	Werner Scholl
Maria Hofstätter	...	Wärterin
Wolfgang Pregler	...	Hausmeister Jakob Schmid

Also Known As:

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (UK) (original subtitled version) (USA)

Runtime:

120 min | Argentina:117 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-11 | Sweden:7 | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:PG | UK:PG | Brazil:16 | Australia:M | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Peru:14 | Germany:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich)

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Broth Film

Trivia:

As the end credits roll, pictures of the real Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans and Christoph Probst are shown.

Goofs:

Factual errors: While being locked up in a Munich Gestapo prison cell the night from February 20 to 21 1943, Sophie Scholl and her cell-mate Else witness an allied air raid with flashlight, howling sirens and bursting bombs. In reality no bombs fell on Munich the time between the British attacks of December 22, 1942, and March 8, 1943.

Quotes:

Sophie Magdalena Scholl: [to the court] You will soon be standing where we stand now.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage' (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Voiceless

Courage

Sophie Scholl, at one point of her trial, tells the judge and his cronies, as well as the audience of cowards attending the proceedings, that soon they all will be seating in the place she is now occupying. History proved her right as most of the same people that condemned her for treason were proved to be the real traitors.

Marc Rothemund, the director, working on Fred Beinersdorfer's screen play, presents us with a courageous figure, Sophie Scholl, who saw the atrocities the Third Reich was doing to her country and dared to speak about it when confronted by the regime.

Sophie was part of the student's organization, White Rose, that wanted to inform the German people about facts that were never challenged by anyone because of the consequences such action would mean for whoever spoke the truth. Sophie and her brother were instrumental for several pamphlets informing the population about things that the regime's propaganda didn't tell the German people. Sophie mentioned the unmentionable, the extermination of the Jews, and even the elimination of sick children by people gone mad.

The main part of the film involves the interrogation Robert Mohr subjects Sophie as soon as she is arrested. In their exchange Sophie shows an amazing courage and never is seen as being scared of what will happen to her. After she admits to the charges, even Mohr seems to be amazed by her intelligence and resolve.

Julia Jentsch is the main reason for seeing this movie. Ms. Jentsch gives a luminous performance as the woman who challenged the higher ups in charge of her country. Gerald Alexander Held, who is seen as Robert Mohr, makes an impression as the man who questions Sophie's motives and tries to break her spirit. Johanna Gastdorf is seen as the kind Else, who shares a cell with Sophie.

"Sophie Scholl" is an intelligent film that shows a talented director, Marc Rothemund, and a bright young star of the German cinema, Julia Jentsch, in a film about courage and decency during a crazy time where all hope seemed to have disappeared from Germany.