Sunday, October 26, 2008

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex


Uli Edel: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (DE/FR/CZ 2008).

Baader Meinhof Komplex / Baader Meinhof Komplex.
    DE/FR/CZ © 2008 Constantin Film Produktion / Nouvelles Éditions de Films / G.T. Film Production. P: Bernd Eichinger. CO-P: Manuel Cuotemoc Malle.
    D: Uli Edel. SC: Bernd Eichinger  based on the book by Stefan Aust (1985, 2008). DP: Rainer Klausmann  35 mm Kodak  digital intermediate ARRI  released in 35 mm  colour  1:1,85. PD: Bernd Lepel. ED: Alexander Berner.
    C: Martina Gedeck (Ulrike Meinhof), Moritz Bleibtreu (Andreas Baader), Johanna Wokalek (Gudrun Ensslin), Bruno Ganz (Horst Herold), Simon Licht (Horst Mahler), Stipe Erceg (Holger Meins), Sebastian Blomberg (Rudi Dutschke).
    152, 157 min.
    Released in Finland by Nordisk with Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Tarja Sahlstén / Saliven Gustavson.
    Viewed at Kinopalatsi 2, Helsinki, 25 Oct 2008.

A high quality print with many different kinds of imagery (from the sunny beach to the prison world). No objections to the digital intermediate.

The story of the Baader Meinhof terrorist group based on the book of the former editor of the prestigious Der Spiegel magazine, Stefan Aust. It covers the ten years from the Shah demonstrations of 1967 to the German Autumn of 1977. I am not an expert of this subject, but from an outsider's point of view it feels true and plausible. It may even be useful in trying to figure out contemporary terrorism.

It is also a good thriller, without banalizing the subject matter.

I like the basic sense of this film: it strives for honesty and balance in even the most absurd turns of the story, such as the drill at the Arab terrorist training camp. The charisma of Rudi Dutschke and Andreas Baader is evident in the performances of Sebastian Blomberg and Moritz Bleibtreu.

One can understand the indignation of the radicals in the start, but things take a crazy turn.

The film is a veritable panorama of history from the "Crazy Year 1968" with its documentary montages, the Rudi Dutschke assassination attempt, the Middle East situation, bank robberies in West Berlin, the police round-ups, attacks on US military bases, the attack on the Axel Springer building, the prison life of the main terrorists, the trials, Stammheim, the Lufthansa hijack, the liberation of the hostages at Mogadishu, to the collective suicide of the main terrorists and the murder of Hanns Martin Schleyer (the final image).

The performances of the actors are first rate.

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