The World According to Sophie

Sophie Scholl: Die letzten Tage. Marc Rothemund, Reviewed by Christelle Le Faucheur Published on H-German (March, 2006) February 17, 1943: two young women listen cuted or imprisoned. Despite Thomas Mann's carefully to Billie Holliday's "Sugar" on the forbid‐ radio announcement in 1943 and Bundesprsident den BBC station. They laugh and try, unsuccessful‐ Theodor Heuss's speech in 1953, the story of the ly, to sing with the lyrics. Then the face of Sophie Weie Rose underwent a long and uneasy process Scholl (Julia Jentsch) turns serious: "I have to go" toward official acknowledgement. In 1982 two ("Ich mu gehen"). She leaves the apartment with‐ films played an important part in this process. out further explanation and walks through the While Percy Adlon's <cite>Fnf letzte Tage</cite> streets of Munich, "blacked out" because of the depicted an almost mystical, holy Sophie Scholl bombing. In a painter's atelier she meets her through the eyes of her cellmate Else Gebel, brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs) and their friends Michael Verhoeven's <cite>Die Weie Rose</cite> Alexander Schmorell and Willi Graf. The mem‐ reconstituted the system and organization of the bers of the Weie Rose, an anti-Nazi resistance group, stressing the importance of environment, group, spend the night printing and mailing hun‐ network and education. Verhoeven consciously dreds of copies of their sixth fyer, entitled "Kom‐ participated in the difficult process of German militoninnen! Kommilitonen!" While dis‐ <cite>Vergangenheitsbewltigung</cite> (coming to tributing fyers at the university the next day, the terms with the past). At a time when the sentences siblings are caught by the superintendent, who of the Nazi judges were still valid, he asked in a calls the Gestapo. During four days of interroga‐ preview of his flm for their sentences to be vacat‐ tion, the 21-year-old student, Sophie, manages at ed. His flm was banned from Goethe Institutes first to evade the questioning official Robert Mohr and school screenings, but the issue reached the and to convince him of her innocence. When the Bundestag, which, in 1985, fnally acknowledged incriminating evidence accumulates and Hans f‐ the criminal qualities of the nally confesses everything, Sophie, while trying to <cite>Volksgerichtshof</cite> that pronounced protect the other group members, vindicates her these sentences. The Weie Rose members were no ideals: "I am proud of it" ("Ich bin stolz darauf"). longer officially criminals and their story became She argues with Mohr about the differences be‐ a mandatory topic in schools. Twenty years later, tween bureaucracy and democracy, arbitrariness the story's institutionalization is testified to by the and freedom, laws and conscience. On February numerous schools and streets named after the 22, 1943, the Scholls and their aide Christoph Scholl siblings. These disputes are long forgot‐ Probst are accused of high treason and sentenced ten. When flm director Marc Rothemund ex‐ to death in a show trial. In the following weeks, pressed his interest in the story to his screen writ‐ more members of the Weie Rose are either exe‐ er and producer Fred Breinersdorf, the latter's re‐ H-Net Reviews action illustrates his boredom about the topic: quotes from the fyers. The flmmaker also inter‐ "Schulfunk" ("school material") was his answer. viewed Willi Mohr, son of Robert Mohr, and Else But for the director, born in 1968, this story was Gebel's nephew, Walter. As director Marc Rothe‐ not reminiscent of a marble plaque but instead mund explains, focus is placed on actual words evoked a strongly unique and inspiring story. Like and their expression. The direction is minimal: the directors of recent German flms about the shot, counter shot. No opulent set, no explosions. National Socialist period (Oliver Hirschbiegel with The flm takes mainly place in the dark and op‐ <cite>Der Untergang</cite> (2005, <cite>The pressive interrogation room, interspersed with Downfall</cite>) and Dennis Gansel with scenes from the cell Sophie Scholl shared with <cite>Napola, Elite fr den Fhrer</cite> (2005, Else Gebel. Reminiscent of Romuald Karmakar's which just opened in the United States as <cite>Der Totmacher</cite> (1995) and Vlker <cite>Before the Fall</cite>), these thirty-some‐ Schlndorff's <cite>Der neunte Tag</cite> (2004), thing directors and their works seem to exemplify <cite>Sophie Scholl</cite> is a "Kammerspiel," a a shift in the treatment of the topic based on gen‐ chamber play with an aesthetic that has been erational differences. Unlike <cite>Der Unter‐ rightfully criticized as too reminiscent of TV gang</cite>, which prided itself on the historical shows. Disappointing also are some question‐ facts drawn from the life of Traudl Junge, the able musical choices and the heavy-handed use of project of <cite>Sophie Scholl: Die letzten Tage</ religious symbols. Sophie prays three times in the cite> was born out of new access to materials fol‐ film and looks anxiously at crucifixes, while lowing the opening of the GDR archives. Fascinat‐ Gestapo-man Mohr washes his hand like Pontius ing documents such as the transcripts of the inter‐ Pilate after Sophie's execution. The flm depicts rogations had been hidden in the archives, largely Sophie's civil courage as an implacable fght because the Weie Rose's story--that of a middle- against the abstract system of the National Social‐ and upper-class group--did not ft with the official ist state and tends to present her as a modern discourse of working-class, communist-based and martyr. She refuses Mohr's "golden bridge"--his organized resistance.[1] Similarly, such commu‐ offer to allow her to distance herself from the nist resistance activities found no acknowledge‐ group and its actions and thus save her life. The ment in West Germany, nor have they yet in re‐ awe she produces among the audience might in‐ unified Germany. Based on these archival ma‐ hibit identification, an obvious goal of theflm‐ terials, the flm is a depiction of the last day of the maker. Although the material and the story it‐ main character and aims at detailed, almost fas‐ self require it, this focus solely on the character of tidious historical reconstructions, in a manner Sophie is problematic. By reducing the story to that critics have commented upon as the hallmark very few characters, the movie follows the broad‐ of a new neo-realistic trend in German cinema. er trend towards individualization in recent Ger‐ Andr Hennicke's performance as the screaming, man movies about the National Socialist period. hysterical People's Court President Freisler, which Although it offers interesting perspectives, such a many viewers judged exaggerated, is based on focus continues the cinematographic tradition of contemporary flm recordings and is actually a non-engagement on the part of the German popu‐ subdued representation of his fanaticism. Al‐ lation as a whole. The flm thus presents us with though the flm is mainly based on the interroga‐ the familiar division between Nazis and Germans tion transcript, this problematic source, with its and Nazis and Wehrmacht officers, especially in official and biased language, has been supple‐ the trial scene. Giving an emotional speech, Hans mented by additional materials: Sophie's letters; Scholl denounces the situation on the eastern Else Gebel's and Robert Mohr's testimonies; and front, provoking some officers to bend their heads 2 H-Net Reviews in tacit acknowledgment and shame. The fgure of many a welcome change from the controversial Mohr offers the viewer a nuanced character--not Sibel Kekilli, the German-Turkish actress who the typical sadistic, violent National Socialist offi‐ won the previous prize for her role in <cite>Head cer, but on the contrary a thoughtful and articu‐ On</cite> (2004) and was subsequently lambasted late Gestapo agent whose background explains for her turbulent past as a porn star. The tabloids some of his beliefs and convictions. This almost praised the 26-year-old Jentsch, who embodies sympathetic character prevents the delineation of many values that the audience (not only young the brutality of the National Socialist regime, men and women between 15 and 28, but the which is "only" exemplified in the trial scene. This broad German population as well) can identify moving scene is impressive but too short to cor‐ with. Public accounts often stress her theatrical rect the image of a sensitive Nazi personality. background, which is connected with industrious‐ Considering the wave of National Socialist-theme ness and seriousness; her engagement; and her films during 2004-05 and the danger of an over‐ maturity. The roles she plays are of strong women dose of the topic, <cite>Sophie Scholl</cite> has who fght, and often lose, but never forfeit their been surprisingly successful in Germany. The flm convictions. It is open to question whether Jensch offers neither big stunts nor action, nor was it ac‐ will be able to continue her judicious choice of companied and promoted by critical debates, such roles and capitalize on her current success, or if as the ones surrounding <cite>Der Untergang</ she will disappear into cinematographic oblivion cite>. The story and especially its end are well the way the star of <cite>Run Lola Run</cite> known. The canonical status of Sophie Scholl has (1998), Franka Potente, did. By allowing us a probably attracted many viewers, especially glance into the main character's thoughts and young people, who might have had previous feelings, <cite>Sophie Scholl</cite> is an impor‐ knowledge of the story through school and might tant political flm, an example of debates about have found identification with her possible. This and confrontations with repressive political factor might explain the stark difference in audi‐ regimes.

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