| Amazing View of War by a Journalist Who Lived It |
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| written by jmwagner66 |
January 14, 2012 - 9:50 PM PST |
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1 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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This is a fine film. The book by the same name is even better. Due to constraints of time and the number of characters a viewer can track, several characters are collapsed into one. That is unfortunate.
Still, this remains an excellent representation of the 8 weeks during which Berlin was under seige just prior to the end of the war. One woman living there write in detail and without emotion, about her experiences. Rapes, attacks, stealing food, hiding, helping and not helping others. This film, along with the book are important records of the time.
The woman wrote her journals as the events unfolded. It is an immediate record rather than a reconstruction. Of course the film must of necessity include reconstruction of details and actions not recorded.
This film is an excellent partner to "Come and See." In "A Woman in Berlin" the atrocities committed by Russian (Allied) troops are detailed. In "Come and See" the attrocities of the Nazi (Axis) troops are shown. It becomes clear that no participant in the war, or any war, is a "good guy," at least not at a national level. In "A Woman In Berlin" as in the other film, you do see the occassional member of the military who maintains his/her humanity through it all, but not an entire fighting force for any country.
This is also a very well made film. The action takes place in very few locations, partly due to people's movement being so limited during this time, and yet the feeling of a city being razed is conveyed. The acting is impeccable, and the color palette is spot on. |
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