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HOME arrow Movie Reviews arrow NAPOLA (Before the Fall)
NAPOLA (Before the Fall) Print E-mail
Written by Jed Medina   
Sunday, 10 June 2007

Directed by Dennis Gansel | written by Dennis Gansel, Maggie Peren | starring Max Riemelt, Tom Schilling, Justus von Dohnányi, Devid Striesow, Michael Schenk

Review by Rina H.

"Men make history, but we make the men..."

Germany 1942: Heinrich Vogler discovers that young amateur boxer Friedrich Weimer (Max Riemelt) has a great talent and invites him to become a student of a Napola, a national-political reform school. Despite the objections of his anti-facist father, Friedrich secretly leaves his home one night and starts at the Napola Allenstein.

There he is confronted with strictness and discipline, but also finds unexpected comradeship. He quickly becomes friends with the literately talented Albrecht (Tom Schilling), the son of Gau leader Heinrich Stein.

Director Dennis Gansel deals with a not very often handled chapter of national-socialist history, the education of the German youth. His grandfather Fritz Gansel could have served him as a source for he himself studied at such an institution.

The strength of the film lies in the wonderfully told story of two young boys who are at first enthusiastic about the countless posibilities and comradeship, but who soon learn to listen to their own understanding of morality and their own sense of justice, even if this means it sets them against the regime.

With dark, melancholic pictures Gansel portrays everyday life at the Napola, which now and then bristles with succesful experiences, such as Friedrich's triumph in the boxing championship or his trip on a small glider. The viewer also experiences the seductiveness with which the institution succeeds in capturing Friedrich in the beginning. Cheerfully he sings the Nazi song "Unsere Fahne flattert uns voran", proudly he looks into the mirror while wearing his uniform for the first time.

But cruelty is constantly present too. The permanent harassing of a fellow student by the PE teacher, the death of a comrade while training with hand grenades, and Gau leader Stein's rejection of his son Albrecht because he fails to meet his requirements. He thinks of him as "too weak", and feels he would be better off having someone like Friedrich for a son.

Nevertheless, none of this destroys Albrecht and Friedrich's friendship. They hold on to each other despite their difference. Because of each other they realize how wrong the system is in which they find themselves. While Albrecht's way out is tragic, Friedrich is able to find hope. He sets an example, shows how important it is to find the way out of forced opinions into independent thinking and critical scrutinizing of the past as well as the present.

Max Riemelt and Tom Schilling play their characters excellently. They bring humanity to the Napola students and one can understand their longings as well as their desperation and sadness.

Napola is a movie which plays another part in digesting the terrible Nationalist Socialist past, a movie which gives food for thought, a movie with fantastic young actors, a movie that has to be seen.

Comments (1)

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Max Riemelt is simply awesome!
I had the chance to see this movie and was simply amazed with the performance of young German actor Max Riemelt. I believed he won some awards for this film.

Tom Schilling is equally brilliant, and both enjoyed being popular in their home country, however, I think they should be watched by anyone from anywhere. Napola is not easy to watch, as there are certain disturbing scene, but it is a chilling portrait of Nazi Germany.

Aside from the performances of the lead actors, the pace of the film is alright, not perfect but definitely worth collecting in DVD.

Thanks Rina for that review, I know we'll have more German films soon at the site, featuring other amazing actors!
Admin , June 10, 2007

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