Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage (2005)

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 | Nazi

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
Anne Clausen	...	Traute Lafrenz (voice)
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
Christian Hoening	...	Reichsanwalt Weyersberg
Paul Herwig	...	Rechtsanwalt August Klein
Walter Hess	...	Pfarrer Dr. Alt
Norbert Heckner	...	Rektor Prof. Dr. Wüst
Frederike Schinzler	...	Anneliese Graf
Anton Figl	...	Rechtsanwalt Ferdinand Seidl
Dorothea Senz	...	Protokollführerin
Hagen Schnauss	...	Gerichtsreferendar Samberger
Harald Geil	...	Oberleutnant
Dieter Rupp	...	Zellenwärter
Christian Wienhöfer	...	Gestapobeamter 1
Hans Jörg Finselberg	...	Gestapobeamter 2
Michael Esslinger	...	Wachtmeister Anklagebank Links
Manfred Auer	...	Wachtmeister Anklagebank Rechts
Johannes Herrschmann	...	Scharfrichter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joachim Höppner	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Marc Rothemund

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Fred Breinersdorfer		writer

Produced by
Fred Breinersdorfer	....	producer
Sven Burgemeister	....	producer
Ulrich Herrmann	....	co-producer: SWR (as Ulli Herrmann)
Jochen Kölsch	....	co-producer: BR/Arte
Christoph Müller	....	producer
Bettina Reitz	....	co-producer: BR
Marc Rothemund	....	producer
Andreas Schreitmüller	....	co-producer: Arte
Hubert von Spreti	....	co-producer: BR

Original Music by
Reinhold Heil
Johnny Klimek

Cinematography by
Martin Langer

Film Editing by
Hans Funck

Casting by
Nessie Nesslauer

Production Design by
Jana Karen		(as Jana Karen-Brey)

Costume Design by
Natascha Curtius-Noss

Makeup Department
Gregor Eckstein	....	key makeup artist
Martine Flener	....	makeup artist
Jeannette Latzelsberger	....	assistant makeup artist
Elke Lebender	....	makeup artist
Dorota Martyn	....	assistant makeup artist
Tanja Straub	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Patrick Brandt	....	production manager
Christine Jahn	....	post-production supervisor
Joelle Saba Suys	....	unit manager
Jo N. Schäfer	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hellmut Fulss	....	first assistant director
Philip Haucke	....	first assistant director (last three weeks)
Meryem Lehrer	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Fritz Galla	....	property master
Josef Jacob	....	construction coordinator
Maximilian Lange	....	assistant production designer

Sound Department
Peter Brückelmayer	....	sound assistant (as Peter Brücklmair)
Tschangis Chahrokh	....	sound re-recording mixer
Daniel Dietenberger	....	sound designer
Monika Gussner	....	adr editor
Magda Habernickel	....	dialogue editor
Manuel Mayer	....	additional foley editor
Henry Mayr	....	sound mixer
Christian Neff	....	assistant sound mixer
Pierre Peters-Arnolds	....	dubbing director
Anna Rupp	....	assistant sound mixer
Alexander Saal	....	sound designer (as Alex Saal)
Uwe Schiefer	....	sound assistant
Philipp Sellier	....	foley recordist
Roland Winke	....	sound
Norbert Zich	....	sound consultant: Dolby

Special Effects by
Thomas Bedenk	....	matte paintings

Visual Effects by
Markus Drayss	....	digital artist
Nico Feindt	....	3D artist: Arri Digital
Oliver Kirchhoff	....	visual effects
Marion Klaussner	....	3D artist: Arri Digital
Sabine Laimer	....	digital artist
David Laubsch	....	digital compositor
Alexander Nowotny	....	3D artist: Arri Digital
Daniel Plappert	....	digital film scanning
Abraham Schneider	....	digital compositor
Steven Stueart	....	digital film scanning (as Steve Stueart)
Dominik Trimborn	....	visual effects supervisor: ARRI
Klaus Wuchta	....	digital compositor

Camera and Electrical Department
Kai-Uwe Dargusch	....	electrician (as Kai Dargusch)
Wolfgang Dell	....	gaffer
Christian Dlusztus	....	first assistant camera
Raphael Fink	....	electrician
Thomas Frischhut	....	Steadicam operator
Armin Golisano	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Wolfgang Haendl	....	electrician (as Wolfgang Händl)
Erika Hauri	....	still photographer
Klaus Niemeier	....	grip
Jürgen Olczyk	....	still photographer
Harold Peter	....	grip
Marcus Pohlus	....	Steadicam operator
Blair Reid	....	electrician
Christoph Schielein	....	electrician
Nikolaus Schumacher	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Stefan Sosna	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Markus Thanner	....	electrician
Laurent Trümper	....	still photographer
Nathalie Wiedemann	....	camera operator: second camera

Casting Department
Nina Marg	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Claudia Börsch	....	costumer
Fatou Fafana-Kniez	....	wardrobe (as Fatou Fofana-Kniesz)
Kristine Franke	....	wardrobe assistant
Nele Simon	....	wardrobe assistant
Olivia Vossenkuhl	....	wardrobe assistant
Karoline Weichmann	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Andschana Eschenbach	....	assistant editor
Hans Horn	....	trailer editor
Renate Siegl	....	negative cutter
Andrea Voggenauer	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Leah Curtis	....	orchestrator
Peter Fuchs	....	music recording engineer
Reinhold Heil	....	music mixer
Bronwen Jones	....	orchestrator
Johnny Klimek	....	music mixer
Gabriel Isaac Mounsey	....	additional music programmer
Gert Wilden Jr.	....	composer: piano score
Bruce Winter	....	music mixer

Other crew
Ulrich Chaussy	....	researcher
Darius Ghanai	....	title designer
Ruben Hanne	....	location manager: second unit
Christian Hartmann	....	researcher
Julian Kähler	....	set runner
Valerie Kitzinger	....	assistant location manager
Nina Kötter	....	continuity
Monika Materna	....	production accountant
Markus Müller	....	researcher
Isolde Nkouanga	....	production assistant
Tony Ramos	....	production accountant
Daniel Rosness	....	set runner (as Dany Rosness)
Grit Simbeck	....	assistant location manager
Imre Török	....	researcher
Jonathan Van Hest	....	set runner
Carolin von Fritsch	....	set manager

Production Companies

• Broth Film
• Goldkind Filmproduktion (as Goldkindfilm)

Distributors

• X Verleih AG (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• ABC Distribution (2005) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2005) (Sweden) (theatrical) (DVD)
• Cinemien (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2005) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Entertainment (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Istituto Luce (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Les Acacias (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Zeitgeist Films (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• 2-1-0 Films (2006) (Greece) (all media)
• Four Films (2006) (Chile) (all media)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Gateno Films (2006) (Peru) (all media)
• Homescreen (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Two One Zero Films (2006) (Greece) (all media)

Special Effects

• ARRI Digital

Other Companies

• ARRI Rental  camera equipment
• Sparks Filmtechnik GmbH  lighting equipment

Also Known As:

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (UK) (original subtitled version) (USA)
Sophie Scholl (International: English title) (informal short title)

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:

Sugar

A finely accurate, touching story

As this is more of a history film, I will write this review based on the historical aspect of the film and not so much about the acting. However it goes without saying that the acting and handling of the camera was nothing less than superlative! By watching the film you really have the impression of being there at that time.

This film details the last six days of the primary members of a resistance group called the White Rose. The White Rose was an organization of students, mainly around Munich, during the years 1942-1943, though there were fringe elements that eluded capture by the authorities that survived until the end of the war. Many of those survivors contribute to this story.

There are two other films about the group. The main one was a film called "The White Rose". It can be found described here in IMDb. It recounts the complete story of the group. The other was Fünf Letzte Tage (The five last days), which deals with Sophie's last five days. Both of these movies were released in 1982 and the same actress (Lena Stolze) plays Sophie Scholl.

This current film is an amalgamation of the two films with some expansion to the story. More information since the original two films, released in 1982, was subsequently available.

I have studied the story of this group at some length and find the historical aspects of this film track very well with a few notable exceptions. First, at one point when Sophie learns that Christoph Probst was also implicated (she and Hans tried to take all the blame to avoid others from being drawn in) historical accounts say she was shaken to her core and she screams. In the movie however it hardly phases her, she only screams later after the meeting with her parents. I suppose this was done to increase the theatrical value by the placement.

The other is that Police Commissioner Mohr is painted slightly darker than in real life. According to Else Gebel he came back from the prison "white as chalk". She asks if they will die and he only nods shaken from the experience. Else asks how she took it. He replies that she was very brave." He then said, "Keep her in your thoughts in the next half an hour. By that time she will reach the end of her suffering.".

However despite this I thought it was a fantastic film, and probable to date the best one on the subject. There have been a recent wave of films coming from the Bavaria Film Studios, "Der Untergang", "Napola" and this film, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the end of the war. It has been suggested in some circles that this is an attempt to whitewash, I disagree. Until 1994 when I made a visit to Tuebingen and saw some graffiti, I never heard of the White Rose (I am an American). In fact I didn't even know there WAS a German resistance. So I think this about time that this is also given it's place in history along side of the other aspects. In every age there is always a resistance element -- even in our own day. So why should this be such a surprise?

I hope that those who see this film enjoy it as I have. I give it nine stars!