And the reason is probably that the Oscar nominated original movie is so much appreciated. This remake was made in 2008 (50 years later) for the German television station Pro Sieben and runs for roughly 100 minutes. The writer of the novel that this is based on is still alive, way into his 80s. The director and writer of the remake are as well, which is probably no surprise as this is only seven years old, but for both it was one of the latest projects of a very prolific career. The poster features Franka Potente, but she really has not that much screen time. Of course, they took the chance though to advertise their movie with the star of one of Germany's most famous films of all time. The film is all about the boys, especially about Francois Goeske's character. I have to say I do not really know Goeske. It's one difference compared to the original that this one focuses more on all the boys and this one here mostly on Goeske, also on his relationship with (the stunning) Paula Schramm's character. But that is not a criticism at all. it is actually really difficult to elaborate on a handful of characters in detail in under two hours running time.
The cast is mostly unknown. It features a couple actors from the television series "Unter Uns". The plot is basically about a group of young Germans in the final days of World War II who get the task of defending a bridge, so the allied forces cannot conquer it. Many people die and the film is occasionally not easy to watch, but that is actually a pro as the execution is nicely done in my opinion. Also the music was nice and they succeeded in depicting the pointlessness (especially with regard to the ending) and insanity of war. I think they did a fine job in basically using the first half of the film for introductions and for us getting to know the characters and the second half for war action, which I probably preferred over the first half. Also you cannot criticize the makers behind this movie for being uncreative as this is just a remake. The original movie was an adaptation too. it was not written for screen and they actually changed some thing in this 2008 movie and did not make it worse this way in my opinion. Do not be fooled by the usual remake haters. This is a very watchable film and I recommend it.
The cast is mostly unknown. It features a couple actors from the television series "Unter Uns". The plot is basically about a group of young Germans in the final days of World War II who get the task of defending a bridge, so the allied forces cannot conquer it. Many people die and the film is occasionally not easy to watch, but that is actually a pro as the execution is nicely done in my opinion. Also the music was nice and they succeeded in depicting the pointlessness (especially with regard to the ending) and insanity of war. I think they did a fine job in basically using the first half of the film for introductions and for us getting to know the characters and the second half for war action, which I probably preferred over the first half. Also you cannot criticize the makers behind this movie for being uncreative as this is just a remake. The original movie was an adaptation too. it was not written for screen and they actually changed some thing in this 2008 movie and did not make it worse this way in my opinion. Do not be fooled by the usual remake haters. This is a very watchable film and I recommend it.