• 

  Average Rating for Sophie Scholl - 4 out of 5

  
  (based on 1 user reviews)
• Sophie Scholl

  Richard Benstead 20 July 2007

  

  Set in the context of bloody German defeats in the latter part of the Second World War, Marc Rothemund"s film details the life of Sophie and Hans Scholl"s from the clandestine distribution of anti-Hitler pamphlets to their capture by collaborators of National Socialism. Utilising historical documents and personal accounts of actual events, the themes of courage, personal integrity and hope echo throughout and beyond the film"s 117 minutes.
  
  Starring as the 21-year old Sophie, Julia Jentsch conveys a complex member of the White Rose resistance movement who possess such despair at the devastation of Germany"s people that she is prepared to risk her own future in urging people to question Hitler's war-conduct. And yet she does not seek for martyrdom; trips to the North Sea with her fiancée are described with the devotion and love of a young woman who is hopeful of a freedom and justice in a post-Nazi Germany.
  
  Sophie Scholl especially comes to life in the lengthy interrogation scenes as the camera cuts back and forth from Sophie to her interrogator Robert Mohr (Alexander Held). Each of these many battles embody the conflict between the individual who dares to speak and the totalitarian regime that then confronts them; between naked courage and idealistic conviction. Sophie's sheer courage cannot displace the combination of indoctrination and self-interest that forces Mohr"s conformity to the slogans of Göbbels but he does begin to admire the prisoners spirit and determination.
  
  In Sophie"s calm and yet somewhat impulsive refusal to conform to Hitler"s corrupted form of nationalism, loyalty to the unshakeable beliefs of one"s own conscience is explored within the specific historical context of 1940s Germany but is an issue that will forever remain relevant to the human condition. So simple is the films vision of the ordinary person who is prepared to rebel against societal decay that the horrors of the Nazi period need not be depicted in graphic scenes that would be a distraction from the human focus of the film. In neither cinematic nor human terms can this brilliant German film ever date.

• Please review this title

  We will publish your review of Sophie Scholl on DVD within a few days as long as it meets our guidelines.
  None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.

  Name

  Email

  Rating

  Synopsis (optional)

  Review

  Submit

  Thank you - we will review and publish your review shortly.

This harrowing German drama is based on the real life events surrounding the German White Rose resistance group, an organisation of German students and conscientious objectors who opposed the Nazi regime and the war. In Munich in 1943, student Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch) and her brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs) are arrested for handing out leaflets opposing the regime. Subjected to brutal interrogation by Gestapo officer Robert Mohr (Gerald Alexander Held), Sophie refuses to break, until Mohr makes it clear that her failure to confess will cost her the lives of her family and friends. The film is based on the actual interrogation transcripts from the Nazi archives.

Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 or region free DVD player in order to play Set in Munich in 1943 Brother and sister Sophie and Hans Scholl are members of student resistance group &39;White Rose&39; against the Nazi regime and are arrested for distributing fliers around the University The two students are interrogated and Hans finally breaks down and confesses Sophie has no choice but to defend her beliefs and protect her brother and her friends Based on the real activities of the &39;White Rose&39; resistance group recovered interrogation papers and witness interviews